As a result of increasingly busy airports, safe runway operation is one of the highest challenges for aviation safety. All main aviation bodies (e.g. IATA, ICAO, CANSO, ACI, EASA, FAA & EUROCONTROL) identify runway incursion as a major safety threat. Safety has been improved thanks to airport surface management systems: A-SMGCS is available on many major airports and ground safety nets (e.g. RWSL).

However, these systems are not expected to fully resolve the runway incursion risk and are not envisaged to be deployed at smaller airports. Incursion rate remains steady (3/100.000 operations) and events continue to occur (28 near-miss collisions last 5 years). Although TCAS has been in use since 1981, there is currently no aircraft system to prevent runway collisions.

Within SESAR solution PJ.03b-05 ‘Traffic Alerts for Pilots for Airport Operations’, ADS-B technology is leveraged to validate on-board SURFace Alerts with possible Indications (SURF-A & SURF-IA). SURF-A/IA is the ultimate safety net against collision when all previous barriers have failed. Solution is reaching V3 in 2019 thanks to fast-time/real-time simulations and flight test validation. During S2020-W2 VLD2, SURF-A/IA airborne platforms are being developed, certified, fitted on airline aircraft and exposed on revenue flights. The objective is to check the performance of the function in real environment, in particular the absence of nuisance alert.

Participating ANSPs (DSNA, DFS, ANS-CR(B4), PANSA (B4)) and EUROCONTROL, who are convinced of the need for complementary aircraft safety net for airport operations, are conducting specific studies to ensure the interoperability with ATC procedures & ground safety nets. In addition, this trial is the largest ground ADS-B IN trial worldwide, paving the way towards large deployment of SURF-A/IA or future ADS-B applications and standards.Demonstration aims at being very large, including: 3 airlines or more,50 aircraft,12 months recording period,50.000 flights collected and 300 airports visited.