The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced plans to equip ground vehicles at three major regional airports with transponder technology. The trackers will be installed on fire trucks and other rescue vehicles to provide air traffic controllers with more precise location information through continuous signals transmitted to control towers.
The decision follows a recommendation from the National Transportation Safety Board, which issued a preliminary report last week examining a collision at LaGuardia Airport that killed two pilots and injured several others. The March 22 incident involved a fire truck that struck a landing Air Canada aircraft on the runway. According to the NTSB report, an air traffic controller had cleared the vehicle to cross the runway, though the truck proceeded past red warning lights. Contributing factors included heavy air traffic and an active emergency involving another aircraft at the time.
LaGuardia Airport currently operates an Airport Surface Detection System known as ASDE-X, which combines radar data with transponder information from aircraft and ground vehicles to display real-time positions in the control tower and alert controllers to potential collisions. The Federal Aviation Administration has recommended that major airports nationwide adopt transponder technology for ground vehicles and has offered financial assistance to support implementation. Numerous airports have already followed this guidance.
Port Authority officials stated the agency has prioritized safety investments for airfield vehicles, including systems to track movements and enhance operator situational awareness. The authority operates LaGuardia, Kennedy Airport in New York, and Newark Liberty Airport in northern New Jersey. Officials indicated they will continue collaborating with the NTSB during its ongoing investigation and with the FAA to enhance airfield safety procedures.
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