Background: Garmin's commitment to aviation safety
In recent years, Garmin has established itself as one of the pioneers in the development of safety solutions for aviation. Back in 2020, the company introduced the Auto Land System a ground-breaking technology that enables aircraft to land autonomously in an emergency. This system is automatically activated if the pilot is no longer able to control the aircraft, providing an additional layer of safety for passengers and crew. This system was later supplemented by Car radar, a technology that provides improved weather displays in real time and thus increases pilots' situational awareness in difficult weather conditions.
Runway Occupancy Awareness: A new milestone
With the introduction of Runway Occupancy Awareness (ROA) Garmin is continuing its efforts to improve safety on the ground. While Auto Land and Auto Radar were primarily focused on flight operations, ROA targets an often overlooked but equally critical aspect of aviation safety: ground transport at airports. Ground collisions, especially near taxiways and runways, have been a growing concern for many years, and Garmin is now addressing this risk with advanced technology.
The ROA software uses a combination of GPS-Data and ADS-B traffic informationto analyse the position of the aircraft in real time. The system recognises potential conflicts and warns pilots immediately if there is another aircraft, a vehicle or an obstacle on the taxiway or runway. This early warning enables flight crews to react in good time and take corrective action to avoid accidents.
First certification by the FAA
An important step in the implementation of the new system is certification by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Garmin has already received the first approval for the installation of ROA in the Flightdeck G1000 the Cessna Caravan a popular single-engine aircraft frequently used in commercial aviation and freight transport. This certification marks the beginning of the introduction of ROA into a wide range of aircraft types.
Garmin plans to expand the system to other aircraft in the coming months. Next month, FAA certification for the Cessna Citation Excel, XLS, XLS+ and the XLS Gen2 expected. These business jets are among the best-selling models in their class and could offer significant security benefits at airports worldwide thanks to the integration of ROA.
The growing importance of soil safety
Ground collisions are one of the most common causes of incidents at airports. According to statistics from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) There has been an increase in incidents that have occurred on taxiways and runways in recent years. This is not only due to rising traffic figures, but also to the increasing complexity of airport infrastructures. At large international airports in particular, situations can arise where several aircraft are manoeuvring on the taxiways at the same time, which increases the risk of collisions.
With technologies such as ROA, the aviation industry will be better equipped to avoid such incidents. The system increases pilots' situational awareness and provides an additional layer of safety, especially at busy airports and in difficult visibility conditions. With this innovation, Garmin is helping to meet the challenges of increasing air traffic and improve safety on the ground.
Source references:
Aerotelegraph