Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Enhances Runway Occupancy Monitoring Support Functions at Major Airports Adding Warning Sounds

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is enhancing the runway occupancy monitoring support functions at major airports and will add warning sounds starting October 31.

Following an incident at Haneda Airport in January, the Haneda Airport Aircraft Collision Accident Countermeasures Committee, established in response to the incident, has recommended enhancing the runway occupancy monitoring support functions as a measure to prevent wrong entries onto the runway. The system alerts controllers by changing the display color of information on the radar screen, such as runways and aircraft, when an aircraft or other vehicle is using the runway and another is attempting to enter it. As a first step, warning sounds will be added, and by the 2025 fiscal year, warning displays and alarm sounds will be added.

With the addition of warning sounds, the constant radar monitoring personnel arrangement implemented as an emergency measure since January will be discontinued.