Honeywell announced at the Paris Air Show that low-fare carrier Southwest Airlines is in the process of activating SmartRunway and SmartLanding software, designed to enhance runway safety across its entire Boeing 737 aircraft fleet. This capability uses the Honeywell Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) already on Southwest aircraft, and more than 700 aircraft have been activated to date.
SmartRunway and SmartLanding help increase flight crew situational awareness during taxi, takeoff, and landing with aural and visual alerts, and promote stabilised approaches. It proactively notifies pilots when they are moving too fast, flying too high or are directed toward the wrong runway, helping to break the chain of events that may lead to runway accidents. SmartRunway and SmartLanding are certified for most Airbus and Boeing aircraft, as well as numerous business aviation platforms.
“Today’s pilots face increasing challenges, including unpredictable weather and dense traffic in limited airspace, forcing them to make split-second decisions during takeoff and landing. Fortunately, as the challenges evolve, so does the technology that provides the information they need in real time,” said Jim Currier, President and CEO of Honeywell Aerospace Technologies. “Southwest is continuing to put pilots and passengers first by investing in SmartRunway and SmartLanding software across its fleet.”
In addition, Honeywell’s next-generation runway safety technology, Surface Alerts (SURF-A), is being tested and is expected to be certified on commercial air transport aircraft in 2026 pending regulatory approvals. SURF-A is cockpit alerting software that uses GPS data, Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast equipment and advanced analytics to provide pilots with direct aural and visual alerts of potential runway traffic. Like SmartRunway and SmartLanding, SURF-A is enabled via Honeywell’s EGPWS.
“Safety is at the heart of everything we do at Southwest,” said Andrew Watterson, Chief Operating Officer at Southwest Airlines. “Honeywell’s SmartRunway and SmartLanding software will provide our pilots with enhanced situational awareness to ensure the highest level of safety while operating on runways throughout the network.”
Photo: Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines is activating Honeywell runway protection on all its Boeing 737 fleet.
