Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy Announces Milestone in Air Traffic Control Overhaul with Deployment of Surface Safety Technology

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy today announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) installed the 100th Surface Awareness Initiative (SAI)—an aircraft and vehicle surveillance tool—reaching nearly half of the 220 airports set to receive the system.

This tool will improve runway efficiency and help air traffic controllers keep operations running safely. Specifically, SAI allows controllers to track aircraft and vehicles in real time, including in poor weather conditions or when aircraft may be out of sight from the control tower.

“We are moving at the Speed of Trump to bring air traffic controllers the surface safety technology they need to continue improving our airspace,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “We have doubled our deployment speed thanks to Republicans in Congress who delivered funding through the Working Families Tax Cut Act. We’re going to continue fast-tracking our deployment so that all 220 FAA towers that did not have surface surveillance capabilities can now have a new tool at their disposal for controllers.”

“SAI is vital for controllers. It gives them the big picture of the airport’s surface right at their fingertips,” said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. “For our controllers to work at their best, they need the technology to match their expertise.”

SAI is currently operational at 100 air traffic control towers. Some of the most recent are Ann Arbor Municipal Airport, Billings-Logan International Airport, Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport and Corpus Christi International Airport.

The FAA plans to continue its installation at another 44 airports by the end of 2026.

Additional Information:

SAI uses Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data from aircraft and vehicles, enabling controllers to see surface traffic.

The FAA will continue installing agile, cost-effective runway surveillance technology at airports and air traffic facilities across the nation. The agency has tripled the pace of Approach Runway Verification deployments, which are now operational at more than 260 air traffic facilities. The Runway Incursion Device is operational at more than 56 air traffic control towers.