Honeywell’s SmartRunway and SmartLanding system aims to improve situational awareness during critical flight phases.

By Ryan Ewing

Southwest is in the process of equipping its entire Boeing 737 fleet with Honeywell’s SmartRunway and SmartLanding software, designed to increase runway safety.

The system, which provides pilots with enhanced situational awareness during taxi, takeoff, and landing, has already been installed on 95% of the carrier’s fleet.

The Dallas-based airline’s adoption of the system comes after some high-profile incidents. In March, a Southwest 737-800 nearly departed from an Orlando, Florida, taxiway.

Last year, another Southwest flight took off from a closed runway in Portland, Maine. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating both incidents.

The SmartRunway and SmartLanding solutions are enabled via the Honeywell Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) already installed on Southwest aircraft.

“The feature helps with runway safety by reducing the risk of runway excursions and wrong surface operations,” explained Thea Feyereisen, a distinguished technical fellow at Honeywell, during an interview.

According to Feyereisen, the system provides “a lot of alerts,” both aural and visual to increase pilot situational awareness in critical phases of flight.

“[It can] help provide the pilot awareness if they’re about ready to land on a taxiway or take off on a taxiway, if they’re too high or too fast on approach,” she said. “It also provides position awareness on the surface if you’re approaching a runway on a runway.”

Southwest’s implementation makes it the largest airline to date to adopt the SmartRunway and SmartLanding technology, which is certified for most Airbus and Boeing aircraft, as well as numerous business aviation platforms.

“It’s [an] exciting opportunity … both for Honeywell and for Southwest to show their commitment to improving the safety of their operations,” said Feyereisen.

For aircraft already equipped with Honeywell’s EGPWS, the SmartRunway and SmartLanding functions are already “in the box” and just need to be enabled.

Feyereisen said this makes the upgrade process seamless, requiring only minimal adjustments in pilot training, typically through a short memo and video overview.

Andrew Watterson, chief operating officer at Southwest Airlines, stressed the importance of safety in the airline’s operations.

“Safety is at the heart of everything we do at Southwest,” Watterson said in a news release. “Honeywell’s SmartRunway and SmartLanding software will provide our pilots with enhanced situational awareness to ensure the highest level of safety while operating on runways throughout the network.”

A Southwest spokesperson said  that the system is already installed on over 95% of its fleet, or around 700 aircraft. The carrier plans to retrofit the rest of its fleet, too, with some requiring additional equipment that will be installed during scheduled maintenance checks.

In addition, the airline’s nearly 11,000 pilots will receive training on the system’s capabilities, but this is “minimal,” according to the spokesperson, adding that they are already familiar with Honeywell’s existing technology.

In 2015, Southwest selected Honeywell flight-deck systems for its 240-unit order of 737 MAX aircraft, adding to its existing fleet of 737 Next Generation jets flying with Honeywell cockpit avionics. Southwest was also the first airline to incorporate Honeywell’s Integrated Multi-Mode Receiver technology into its fleet.

Looking ahead, Honeywell’s next-generation runway safety technology, Surface Alerts (SURF-A), is now being tested and is expected to be certified on commercial air transport aircraft in 2026, pending regulatory approvals. Unlike SmartRunway and SmartLanding, SURF-A will provide pilots with direct aural and visual alerts of potential runway traffic.

Honeywell’s SURF-A technology alerts pilots to potential incursions (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Jon Whittle)

The SmartRunway and SmartLanding technology has been available since 2003, with Alaska Airlines being the launch customer.