Runway Status Lights (RWSL) will be phased into use at Tokyo Haneda Airport starting from late FY2027 (year starting April 1, 2027), the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) announced on September 17, 2024.
Work related to the lights’ foundations on taxiways leading to runway 16L/34R is expected to start on September 27, 2024. Foundations on runways and other taxiways, as well as control equipment installation are expected to follow from FY2025. Lastly, the lights themselves are expected to be installed from FY2027 onward.
The system will be introduced in response to a collision between a JAL A350-900 landing on and a Japan Coast Guard Dash 8 preparing to depart from that runway, which happened in early this January.
RWSL is a system designed to prevent runway collisions. According to Eurocontrol, “The RWSL increases pilots and vehicle operators’ situational awareness by directly providing runway occupancy status through the autonomous illumination of in-pavement lights on runway and taxiways. The concept of operations relies on the ability to warn at least one of the aircraft or vehicles in a conflicting scenario…”
