Earns 2007 Airport Safety Award
DFW International Airport was honored Thursday with the 2007
Airport Safety Award given by the Flight Safety Foundation, for
leadership and achievements benefiting aviation safety, both at the
Airport and in the wider aviation community.
The award -- given in Seoul, Korea during the Flight Safety
Foundation’s 60th annual International Air Safety Seminar --
honored DFW for adopting a leadership role in developing innovative
safety initiatives, specifically perimeter taxiways, area
navigation and a surface movement guidance system.
"We are extremely honored to be recognized internationally for
our safety achievements because safety is engrained in our culture
and in everything we do," said Jeff Fegan, CEO of DFW International
Airport. "We are very proud of our safety record and the innovative
programs we have put in place that are modeled around the world.
Every airport works extremely hard to maintain a safe environment
and we are proud to represent the global aviation community in this
manner."
In partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA), DFW has developed and implemented area navigation procedures
for improving in-flight safety. The Area Navigation (RNAV) program
is a global satellite navigation system that guides pilots along
more direct departure routes, increasing efficiency and reducing
communication congestion.
DFW also partnered with NASA to develop its perimeter taxiway
system, which allows arriving aircraft to taxi to the terminals
without crossing active runways, lessening the workload for air
traffic controllers while reducing potential runway incursions.
DFW’s implementation has been adopted as a national
standard.
And DFW has upgraded airport surface detection equipment that
provides radar surveillance of aircraft and airport service
vehicles, helping controllers prevent runway incursions and
determine the spacing between aircraft for improved airfield
safety.
"We’re grateful to our federal partners in allowing us to
help develop initiatives that serve to create an overall atmosphere
of safety awareness," said Jim Crites, executive vice president of
operations at DFW. "We want to be at the forefront of developing
these technologies because it’s conceivable that every flying
passenger in the world will eventually benefit from these
efforts."
DFW staff members have worked diligently with regulatory and
industry groups to generate support for promising safety-related
research and development projects.
"Our staff does an incredible amount
of work to make these projects come to life," said Allen Parra,
vice president for operations at DFW. "The commitment made by our
employees to all kinds of safety enhancements really does make DFW
a world leader in aviation safety, and our employees are to be
commended for that."
More than 1,140 individuals and organizations in 142 countries
are members of the Flight Safety Foundation, which is dedicated to
improving aviation safety through research, auditing, education,
advocacy and publishing.
Located halfway between the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth,
Texas, DFW International Airport is the world's third busiest,
offering nearly 1,900 flights per day and serving 60 million
passengers a year.