FAA adding transponders to all its airport vehicles after Air Canada plane's deadly LaGuardia runway crash
Posted on: May 14, 2026 02:17 IST | Posted by: Cbc
The government agency in bill of air power refuge in the United States said wed all of its airport vehicles will be equipped with technology to help air-traffic controllers track their movements, a move expedited by the deadly crash in March involving an Air Canada jet at New York's LaGuardia Airport.
A statement from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the agency will spend $16.5 million US ($22.6 million) to add transponders, called Vehicle Movement Area Transmitters (VMATs), to its vehicles at airports nationwide.
"VMATs help prevent dangerous runway incidents and by accelerating the deployment of this technology, we’re closing critical visibility gaps on our nation’s runways and taxiways," wrote FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford.
LaGuardia driver didn't know 'stop, stop, stop' warning was for them: NTSB
The statement said the FAA had been planning the change for months, but sped up the initiative after an Air Canada plane collided with a fire truck upon landing at LaGuardia Airport on March 22.
The National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report on the crash, which killed both pilots, noted the truck had not been outfitted with a transponder.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which oversees LaGuardia and other area airports, said last month it would add transponders to its vehicles that operate around runways.
The airport's surface surveillance system, known as ASDE-X, tracks every plane and vehicle in real time on a display for air traffic controllers to help prevent runway collisions.
The system provides a visual and audible alert when it detects a potential collision, giving controllers the time to intervene, but neither alarm went off at LaGuardia the night of the crash.
The FAA's move to install transponders at airports nationwide comes one year and one day after the agency recommended airports with ASDE-X systems voluntarily outfit their emergency vehicles with transponders to improve airfield safety.
The statement said transponders will be installed on roughly 1,900 vehicles at 44 airports with ASDE-X and Airport Surface Surveillance Capability (ASSC) systems in place. The same will be done at another 220 airports that "have or will be getting" Surface Awareness Initiative surveillance systems, which is another program to improve visibility and awareness for air traffic controllers.
The statement Wednesday recommended airports and airlines do the same for their vehicles.
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