Southwest Airlines has activated runway safety alert systems on more than 700 of its Boeing 737 aircraft as part of a fleet-wide rollout announced Monday at the Paris Air Show. The Dallas-based carrier is equipping its entire 800-plane fleet with Honeywell's SmartRunway and SmartLanding software, which provides pilots with real-time audio and visual warnings to prevent dangerous runway mistakes.
The move represents one of the most comprehensive airline adoptions of cockpit alert technology as the aviation industry grapples with a rise in close calls at U.S. airports.
The alert system warns pilots when they are approaching too fast, flying too high, or lined up for the wrong runway12. "It proactively notifies pilots when they are moving too fast, fly too high or are directed toward the wrong runway, helping to break the chain of events that may lead to runway accidents," Honeywell said in a press release1.
Southwest Chief Operating Officer Andrew Watterson told the Wall Street Journal the technology adds "barriers to potentially bad outcomes"1. The system operates through Honeywell's Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System already installed on Southwest's aircraft, making activation a software upgrade rather than new hardware installation32.
"It gets your attention," said Capt. Jody Reven, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association3. "When you're in Philly or L.A., it's a great added tool."
The deployment follows a series of runway incidents involving Southwest aircraft. In March, a Southwest flight began taking off from a taxiway instead of a runway at Orlando International Airport before an air traffic controller intervened12. In February, a Southwest jet narrowly missed a private aircraft at Chicago Midway International Airport, passing within 200 feet of the crossing plane3.
The technology had been certified and available for years, but Southwest, like many airlines, opted not to activate it until recently, citing operational discretion and cost considerations4. Southwest began the rollout in early 2024 following increased scrutiny of runway safety4.
An FAA advisory panel recommended in August 2024 that cockpit alert systems be required on newly manufactured aircraft, though no mandate exists for retrofitting existing planes1. The FAA is currently reviewing the proposal1.
While carriers like Emirates and Alaska Airlines already use similar systems, many others have opted out due to cost or operational preferences1. Honeywell is also testing a next-generation system called Surface Alerts that could be certified for commercial aircraft by 20261.
