FlightLine – Surface Awareness For Airports

Surface Safety, Simplified

FlightLine – Surface Awareness For Airports

Surface Safety, Simplified

Why FlightLine?

Operational Efficiencies for Your Airport

  • Improved arrival sequencing and runway loading
  • Improved departure sequencing
  • Better integration of vehicles in movement areas
  • Optimized operations in low visibility

Safety Enhancements Trusted by FAA

  • Reducing runway incursions
  • Preventing wrong surface landings and wrong turn pilot deviations
  • Enhancing situational awareness in low visibility
  • Enhanced search & rescue operations

The FlightLine Surface Awareness System

The FlightLine system is a cutting-edge surface awareness solution designed to provide air traffic controllers with real-time visibility into aircraft and ground vehicle movements across an airport’s operational area. By leveraging Ground-Based Receivers (GBRs) and FAA-certified vehicle transponders (VTU-20s) receiving 978 MHz and 1090 MHz ADS-B data, FlightLine delivers precise tracking data for aircraft and ground-based vehicles to ATC tower displays, enhancing safety, efficiency, and situational awareness. This integrated system ensures full coverage of movement areas, enabling seamless coordination between controllers, pilots, and ground operators.

Here’s how FlightLine works:

  • Ground-Based Receivers (GBR): Up to 4 per airport for full movement area coverage
  • ATC Displays: Installed at ground and local control positions for real-time awareness
  • Vehicle Transponders (VTU-20): FAA-certified units for operational vehicles
  • Scalable System:  Cloud-based service fully supported by uAvionix customer service and training

A new era for air traffic control – from Archie League (courtesy National Archives) to today’s SAI equipped tower

What is SAI?

The FAA’s Surface Awareness Initiative (SAI) enhances runway safety by delivering real-time aircraft and vehicle tracking to air traffic controllers.

Goal: Reduce runway incursions and improve situational awareness at airports across the U.S.

Partnered with uAvionix to deploy the FlightLine system as a cost-effective, radar-free solution.

Live at airports including Austin, Indianapolis, Daytona, West Palm Beach, Orlando Sanford, Miami Executive, Tampa, and Jacksonville.

32 additional airports scheduled for deployment in 2025.

FAA Surface Awareness Initiative (SAI) Operational Deployments of FlightLine

KAUS

Austin Bergstrom International

KDAB

Daytona Beach International

KIND

Indianapolis International

KJAX

Jacksonville International

KPBI

Palm Beach International

KSFB

Orlando Sanford International

KTMB

Miami Executive

KTPA

Tampa International

Is FlightLine Coming to Your Airport?

The new FAA-funded solution to reduce runway incursions, improve awareness, and give you real-time insight into your movement areas is avaialable now.

Vehicle Tracking with VTU-20

Increase Runway Safety for Vehicle Operators

Airports that leverage FAA-certified VTU-20 on their vehicles in the movement area will achieve additional benefit from Surface Awareness deployment in the ATC Tower and Flight Operations. A live view of vehicles on runways and taxiways will provide increased situational awareness to the controllers and will allow for optimized efficiency providing clearances to enter the movement area. Vehicle operators can leverage a mobile version of the system to view traffic in the airfield in reference to their own vehicle position. Acting as any other ADS-B transponder, the vehicle also becomes visible to all aircraft with ADS-B in and leveraging Electronic Flight Bags (EFB) and a uAvionix Sentry or skyEcho2, this will significantly enhance safety during low visibility and snow operations with increased vehicle presence on the runway.

VTU-20 is FAA-certified under AC 150/5220-26 and provides real-time visibility to ATC and other aircraft of snowplows, sweepers, ops vehicles, and more.

Vehicle transponders are eligible for FAA grants in the US for airports that have surface awareness deployed and can be ordered through uAvionix.

FAQs

When will my airport get SAI?

The FAA has already deployed Surface Awareness Initiative (SAI) technology at multiple airports, with additional installations planned throughout 2025. If your airport has been selected, uAvionix will coordinate directly with your airport authority to schedule site surveys and installation within the standard 90-day deployment timeline.

Your airport authority can help by designating a Point of Contact (POC) to coordinate the site survey and installation process. Additionally, providing access to preferred electrical contractors who are familiar with airport infrastructure can streamline the deployment and reduce installation time.

Equipping airport vehicles with FAA-certified VTU-20 Vehicle Movement Area Transmitter (VMAT) enhances situational awareness for air traffic controllers by making vehicle movements visible on ATC displays. This improves safety during low-visibility conditions, reduces the risk of runway incursions, and helps integrate ground operations more efficiently into the airfield environment.

Airports interested in purchasing additional VTU-20 transponders can do so through uAvionix-approved resellers. Many airports are also eligible for FAA grant funding to subsidize the cost of additional transponders for their ground vehicle fleet. Contact uAvionix for details on authorized resellers and available funding options.

While SAI is currently being deployed at FAA-operated ATC towers, contract towers may be eligible to integrate similar situational awareness tools. uAvionix can provide additional guidance on potential solutions and deployment options for contract tower environments.

Yes, FlightLine Data from SAI deployments at airports is combined with data from a network of uAvionix ADS-B receivers (978 MHz and 1090 MHz) deployed through the United States and parts of Europe and the UK.  FlightLine Data is avaiable via an API for integration with UTM or other systems for UAS operations, particularly those that require surveillance to permit BVLOS flights. For more information contact us.

Other users of FlightLine

FlightLine’s open API enables diverse integrations beyond ATC, powering solutions like DFR for emergency response, BVLOS for utility UAS operations, and dynamic airport ops dashboards.

  • BVLOS UAS Operations – Integrate with UTM systems for real-time ADS-B traffic airspace awareness necessary for risk management

  • Noise Abatement Monitoring – Track aircraft operations in sensitive areas to meet requirements and improve operations

  • DFR for Emergency Response – Provide real-time flight data that unlocks FAA approvals for DFR BVLOS operations that enhance public safety

  • Utility UAS Operations – Support beyond visual line-of-sight missions for infrastructure inspections and utility monitoring

  • Airport Ops Management – Integrate data into dynamic dashboards for improved ramp management, sequencing, and overall airport operations.

Contact us to learn more about how FlightLine can benefit your operations.

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