Runway Traffic System Approved

Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is one of 20 airports that will get runway status lights to warn pilots when it is unsafe to cross or enter a runway, as the Federal Aviation Administration continues efforts to improve safety at busy airports.

The lights, which are like traffic lights for airfields, are already being tested at the Dallas-Fort Worth and San Diego airports. The FAA plans to award a contract this fall to install the runway status lights at 20 more airports over the next three years. It is expected to cost about $400 million.

Though the number of serious runway incursions in the United States declined last year, "it's a problem that still keeps me up at night," FAA acting Administrator Robert Sturgell said.

The other airports where runway status lights will be installed are Baltimore/Washington International, Boston, Charlotte, Denver, Detroit, Washington Dulles, Fort Lauderdale, Houston Intercontinental, John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Newark, O'Hare, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Seattle.

The FAA also said Monday it will fund up to $5 million for testing of in-cockpit displays or alerts to let pilots know where they are on runways or on airfields. The agency said it is starting a process for the installation of ground surveillance systems at some airports that will not get surface detection equipment under other programs.