Austin airport receives new tech designed to help planes take off, land safely
AUSTIN, Texas - Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has some new technology designed to help planes take off and land safely, after several mishaps on its runway last year. The first-of-its-kind modernized Tower Simulation System is designed to make sure air traffic controllers are better trained.
ABIA was the first airport in the nation to receive the technology, unveiled by the FAA on Monday, Jan. 29.
"What it will do is enable our air traffic controllers to train in Austin instead of going to San Antonio," said Rep. Lloyd Doggett.
A visual database helps familiarize controllers with the specific layout of Austin’s airport, while simulating a whole host of weather conditions, like heavy fog.
The simulator was installed nearly a year after a terrifying near-miss at ABIA. In February 2023, a Southwest flight was cleared for takeoff, as a FedEx cargo plane was about to land on the same runway. They missed each other by about 70 feet.
Congress may get briefing on Austin airport's near collision between 2 planes
A FedEx cargo airplane attempting to land at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) Saturday morning had to reverse course after a second plane was cleared to depart from the same runway, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
"We were just moments away from a deadly catastrophe there at the airport," said Doggett.
Then, in June and September, there were two other near misses involving planes. On the ground, two workers were killed in crashes involving runway vehicles in April and October.
"This is not something to mess around with," said Doggett. "We need to be sure all these people and all this cargo moving around stays where it's supposed to be and does not end up in a collision."
Beyond the new simulator, in June the FAA plans to install ground safety technology called the Surface Awareness Initiative. It can detect planes, vehicles, even carts on the runway. But Doggett says staffing is the biggest problem, with about 10 of the 42 authorized controller positions currently unfilled.
"I think we have some fine air traffic controllers there. There are just not enough of them. They're not up to the level and the number of controllers that we need," said Doggett.
The FAA says it is working to optimize the hiring process, so more controllers can be brought on board more quickly. As for the new simulator, it is set to be installed in 95 airports across the country by the end of 2025.
In a statement Monday, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport said:
"We are incredibly grateful to our Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) partners to be chosen for this groundbreaking initiative, especially as the first airport to receive the new tower simulators. Safety is our most important shared priority with all our airport partners and we thank the FAA for their commitment to ensuring the safety of air travel for our community. We also want to thank our Congressional and Austin City Council elected leaders for their advocacy and continued support."