Honeywell Aerospace offers runway collision prevention technology to Mexican national airline

Honeywell Aerospace on Monday said that Aeromexico, the national airline of Mexico, would adopt its advanced runway safety technology, known as Surface Alerts (SURF-A), across the carrier’s entire Boeing 737 NG and 737 MAX fleet of more than 100 aircraft.

Interestingly, Arizona-based Honeywell Aerospace said its team in Bengaluru, where it has over 2,500 engineers, was involved in the development of the SURF-A product that was selected by Aeromexico.

According to Honeywell Aerospace, SURF-A sends pilots real-time aural and visual alerts when they are on a trajectory to collide with another aircraft on the runway. It uses GPS data, automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) equipment and advanced software analytics to pinpoint the exact location of traffic hazards and provide warnings at approximately 30 and 15 seconds before impact. Pilots hear the alert and also see a “Traffic on runway” alert on cockpit displays if on a potential collision course.

“Safety is one of the core tenets of Honeywell Aerospace, and we designed this technology to help give pilots the precious time they need to recognise hazards and take corrective action to avoid what could be a fatal accident,” said Jim Currier, president and CEO of Honeywell Aerospace.

SURF-A is expected to provide Aeromexico pilots with a “third set of eyes” in the cockpit to boost situational awareness during taxi, take off and landing. FAA certification of SURF-A on several Boeing aircraft is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026 and continue into 2027, the company said.

SURF-A would become part of Honeywell Aerospace’s existing portfolio of FAA-certified runway safety products such as Runway Awareness and Advisory System (RAAS) and SmartRunway and SmartLanding software. Those technologies are installed on more than 6,000 commercial aircraft globally, or roughly one quarter of the world’s fleet, claimed the firm. Southwest Airlines installed SmartRunway and SmartLanding across its entire fleet of more than 700 aircraft last year.