uAvionix has launched Surface Ops, a web and iOS application that gives airport vehicle operators situational awareness and conflict and airport status alerting while operating on runways and taxiways. Surface Ops leverages the same real-time airport surface picture that air traffic controllers use for the Surface Awareness Initiative (SAI) and Airborne Position Reporting Tool (APRT) tower applications. The application was developed in close collaboration with early adopters Savannah/Hilton Head International (SAV), Tampa International (TPA), and Jackson Hole Airport (JAC), who have been testing the system for several months in operations.
Despite expanded deployment of surface surveillance systems in the US, drivers of vehicles using the taxiways and runways at busy airports had no solution that provided the same level of alerting capabilities that aircraft have had for years. With 18% of runway incursions caused by vehicles annually, the introduction of the SAI by the FAA and subsequent deployment of uAvionix Vehicle Movement Area Transmitters (VMATs) is helping to close that gap, with more equipped vehicles than ever now visible on a display to the ATC tower and to nearby aircraft.
Surface Ops provides real-time traffic information on a moving airport map, focused on the vehicle driver and actively alerts the driver of impending conflicts with nearby aircraft, especially when on or near the runway, through visual and audible alerts in the application. The system has additional features such as:
- Live Weather
- Upcoming Arrivals and Departures
- FAA Capacity and Airfield Constraints
- Diversion Alerts
- Distressed Aircraft Alerts
Lloyd Hersey, Director of Airport Operations and Emergency Management at Tampa International Airport, said, “At Tampa International Airport, safety is one of the most important factors in our day-to-day operations”, adding, “TPA was one of the first airports in the country to deploy the uAvionix SAI system, and we have since had a great partnership in developing new innovative solutions to further maximise the benefits of this system for the airport, including the deployment of VMATS.”
Surface Ops derives its data directly from the deployed uAvionix FlightLine system under the SAI and APRT programme, leveraging the managed, high-integrity, low-latency data that feeds the tower displays. For airports that have the uAvionix SAI or APRT system already installed, the activation of the Surface Ops system is simple; other airports have the option to self-host sensors or request an installation of low-cost sensors by uAvionix. Surface Ops also works with portable ADS-B sensors such as those used by hundreds of thousands of pilots worldwide.
Dustin Havel, Chief Operating Officer at Jackson Hole Airport, said, “Jackson Hole Airport has always been at the forefront of deploying ADS-B-based safety-enhancing technology,” adding, “We were an early adopter of VMAT to enhance the visibility of our snow removal fleet on the airfield. We are also one of the first airports to deploy the uAvionix airborne situational awareness display (APRT). This active alerting system will further enhance our ability to provide a safe operating environment for drivers, pilots, and passengers.”
In Savannah and Jackson Hole, the application will be directly connected to the KEANS ATC tower Emergency Alert Notification System. When the tower places an Alert call to Airport Fire Rescue (ARFF), the Surface Ops display alerts all active drivers at the airfield of the Alert, displays the Alert details on the screen, and highlights the runway and aircraft in red for maximum awareness by all vehicles in the field.
Cyriel Kronenburg, Vice President of Airports and ATM at uAvionix, said, “Drivers on the movement area have had the least information of anyone out there,” adding, “With VMATS, the ATC tower can see them and most aircraft can see them, yet drivers were left behind for real-time alerting capabilities. We are proud to add this new safety-enhancing product to the uAvionix lineup, continuing to safely connect everything that moves on an airport and flies in the airspace.”
The launch comes as the FAA’s Surface Awareness Initiative continues to scale across almost all US towered airports, adding ADS-B-based surface surveillance alongside the existing ASDE-X and ASSC systems. The FAA has separately encouraged and funded airports to equip their vehicles with ADS-B and, in May 2026, procured uAvionix VTU-20 transmitters for approximately 2,000 of its own Technical Operations vehicles.
A total of 127 airports in the United States that have compatible surveillance systems can immediately benefit from this application; 69 airports are already equipped with uAvionix FlightLine SAI, 14 with the uAvionix APRT system, and 44 airports are covered by the FAA’s own ASDE-X and ASSC systems with live SWIM data feeding the application, with more SAI deployments underway.
Airports that recently deployed uAvionix VTU-20 VMATS for their fleet of airside vehicles can receive additional benefits through the extended warranty and support services that will be combined with the Surface Ops application.
