Audible runway incursion warning for air traffic controllers to be added in late October 2024

Tokyo Haneda
Tokyo Haneda is one of the airports where the change is being implemented.

From October 31, 2024, potential runway incursion warning sound will be introduced at seven airports around Japan, the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB), a part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, announced on October 25, 2024.

Implementation of the system that provides an audible warning to air traffic controllers in addition to a warning message on the radar screen was recommended by the “Haneda Airport Aircraft Collision Countermeasures Review Committee” established in the wake of the January 5, 2024, accident in which a JAL A350 collided with a Japan Coast Guard Dash 8 while landing.

The system will be added at Tokyo Haneda and Narita, Nagoya Chubu, Osaka Itami and Kansai, Fukuoka, and Naha airports. Once live, an air traffic controller role dedicated to monitoring the radar for runway incursions that was added as a temporary countermeasure will be removed.

During fiscal year 2025 (April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026), JCAB plans to further enhance the system to include a more serious alert message and sound when an incursion is more imminent.

Last month, the construction of Runway Status Lights (RWSL), another countermeasure recommended by the committee, started at Tokyo Haneda Airport, where they are expected to be phased into use from late fiscal year 2027.

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