Agency Publishes Request for Information for Low-Cost, Safety-Enhancing Lighting

The FAA is looking for cheaper, faster ways to light up America’s runways. On Thursday, September 11, the agency issued a Request for Information (RFI) for a new safety lighting system that could be deployed nationwide within the next two to three years.

“We want to make sure pilots and air traffic controllers across the country have the tools they need to keep planes moving safely and efficiently,” said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. “A new runway safety lighting system will reduce the number of close calls and hazards on runways at numerous airports.”

Today, 20 US airports use Runway Status Lights (RWSL), which are embedded in pavement along runways and taxiways. These lights automatically signal to pilots and ground vehicles when it is unsafe to enter, cross, or depart from a runway. While effective, the FAA hints that the system is anything but cheap. Installation involves digging up active runways, driving costs up, and requires shutting down operations during construction. That reality has kept the lights confined to only a handful of major airports.

The FAA now wants to know what alternatives are out there. The RFI asks industry for ideas on new lighting systems that can deliver the same or better safety benefits without the installation headaches. The preference is for commercially available solutions that can be quickly scaled rather than experimental technology, which would likely take another decade to certify.

“Situational awareness provided by this system is vital in maintaining the safety of the National Airspace System,” Bedford continued.

This search for new runway lights sings a familiar tune to the agency’s broader overhaul of the National Airspace System. In August, the FAA issued a separate Request for Solutions to find a prime contractor capable of managing an Air Traffic Control modernization project. This shares a theme with the more recent push for new runway lighting: improving infrastructure without blowing the budget.

FMI: www.faa.gov