Southwest will install a “third eye set” in the cockpit to increase safety
Southwest Airlines is deploying new technology in its Boeing 737 Fleet. the goal? To make takeoff and landing safer.
Southwest Airlines New technology is deploying in the Boeing 737 Fleet in the hopes of making takeoffs and landings safer.
“Traffic doubles every 15 years. It’s just a few seconds after a disaster. We have a very secure system, but we need new technology to maintain that level of safety.”
That’s why Feyereisen and her team developed a new software called “Smartrunway Smartlanding.” Safer with tarmac.
Southwest adds a “powerful” cockpit alert system
Simulated cockpit alerts show “runway traffic” and show how the system alerts pilots of potential dangers. (Honeywell/FoxBusiness)
To give you an idea of how this works – think about the alert system that many cars these days have and warn the driver if they are too close to other vehicles.
Software does something similar to a pilot. Warn that they are lined up on the wrong runway or that they are too high when landing.
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“Smartrunway Smartlanding is the third set of the cockpit,” says Feyereisen. “It was as if your co-pilot had said, “Hey, you’re lined up on the taxiway instead of the runway.”
View from the cockpit window of the aircraft placed on the runway, ready for runway safety testing. (Honeywell/FoxBusiness)
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Southwest Airlines has high-tech installations on more than 700 Boeing 737 Fleet.
“Safety is at the heart of everything we do in Southwest… Honeywell’s smart runways and smart landing software can increase situational awareness for pilots to ensure the highest level of safety while driving on runways across the network,” the airline said.
Airlines were already deploying technology when close calls at US airports made headlines earlier this year.
A flight in Southwest Florida attempted in March Take off from the taxiway Instead of a runway. A month earlier, another southwest jet narrowly avoided a crash on the Chicago Midway.
The nose of Honeywell test aircraft, often used as a simulated obstacle in the runway. (Honeywell/FoxBusiness)
“We want to be preventative rather than reactive. That’s really what Southwest is doing here… They’re not waiting for a big accident,” Feyerien said.
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The Honeywell team is also working on a new software called Surface Alerts (SURF-A). It is being tested and is expected to be certified on a commercial air transport aircraft in 2026 with regulatory approval pending.
The software uses GPS data, automatic dependent monitoring broadcast equipment and advanced analytics to provide pilots with direct audio and visual alerts for potential runway traffic.