After multiple close calls between planes were reported at Boston Logan International Airport, the FAA is funding safety improvement projects at the airport to help avoid “runway incursions.”
The Federal Aviation Administration has announced that it awarded more than $121 million to airports across the country to reduce the chances of close calls. Of that $121 million, Boston Logan is receiving $45 million, or 37% of the funding pie.
The projects at Boston Logan will simplify the airfield layout, according to officials.
“We appreciate the FAA for funding these important safety improvements at Boston Logan,” a spokesperson for Massport said in a statement.
“This is an ongoing process, and we have been talking to the FAA and planning for these projects for a few years,” the spokesperson added.
This FAA funding for Boston Logan comes in the wake of some recent close call incidents.
Earlier this month, the FAA announced that it’s investigating a close call between an American Airlines flight and a Spirit Airlines flight. An air traffic controller told the American Airlines flight to cancel its takeoff after the controller noticed the Spirit Airlines flight was coming close to the runway hold line.
Also earlier this year, there was a close call between a JetBlue flight and a Learjet. The pilot of the Learjet took off without clearance and almost collided with the JetBlue flight, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. As the Learjet started to takeoff without clearance, the JetBlue pilot abruptly performed a go-around to avoid a collision.
The new safety improvement projects at Boston Logan were identified in the airport’s runway incursion mitigation plan. The funding will simplify airfield layout by removing part of Taxiway Q and F.
The airport will also rehabilitate Taxiway T, N and M pavement to “ensure safe airfield operations and 10,083 feet of the existing Runway 15R/33L to maintain the structural integrity of the pavement and to minimize foreign object debris,” the FAA said in a statement.
Airport projects across the country will reconfigure taxiways that may cause confusion, install new lighting systems, and provide more flexibility on the airfield.
“The FAA is serious about ending runway incursions and we are putting substantial resources behind our efforts,” said Associate Administrator for Airports Shannetta Griffin. “In some cases the best way to address safety risks is modifying or reconfiguring existing airfields — these grants directly address those situations.”
In March, the FAA held a Safety Summit to address recent close-call incidents.
