FAA Achieves Landmark 100-Airport Milestone in ATC Surface Safety Initiative
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has achieved a significant milestone in its air traffic control modernization campaign. The installation of its 100th Surface Awareness Initiative (SAI) system has been completed, bringing real-time runway surveillance to nearly half of the 220 airports targeted for this technology.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced this accomplishment on September 2, 2026. He highlighted that the FAA has doubled its pace of SAI installations. The SAI system utilizes Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data from aircraft and ground vehicles. This provides air traffic controllers with a live picture of surface activity, even during adverse weather conditions or when aircraft are out of the tower’s direct line of sight.
The recent recipients of this technology include the following airports:
- Ann Arbor Municipal Airport
- Billings-Logan International Airport
- Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport
- Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport
- Corpus Christi International Airport
The FAA plans to equip an additional 44 airports with this technology by the end of 2026. The full implementation across all 220 targeted facilities is expected to be completed by 2028. Combined with the existing surface surveillance infrastructure at the nation’s busiest hubs, the program aims to provide surface surveillance at every airport served by an FAA-operated control tower.
Source: AVweb – FAA Deploys 100th Surface Surveillance System in ATC Modernization Push