Runway near-misses are on the rise, and radar that keeps planes apart is aging and unreliable. As a

Key Highlights :

1. ASDE-X, a key safety system that's relied on to avoid potentially fatal collisions at major US airports, is aging and plagued by outages that have left travellers unprotected for months at a time.

2. At some airports, it hasn't ever been installed.

3. The technology – which tracks vehicles on or near runways to alert controllers before impending crashes – often uses decades-old radar equipment for which spare parts are difficult to find, according to government data and the president of the union representing air-traffic controllers.

4. Keeping track of ground traffic at airports is particularly important at a time when runway-safety incidents appear to be surging.

5. This year, there have been at least eight incidents involving airliners that aviation regulators ranked as severe, or that prompted probes by US accident investigators. That's almost double the average for each full year since 2018.

6. While none of those near collisions have been directly linked to an outage of Airport Surface Detection Equipment-Model X, or ASDE-X, gaps in service can leave the aviation system vulnerable.

7. With no clear alternative available, advocates are pushing to add the system – which is highly effective when it's functioning well – to more landing strips after some of the most serious incidents happened at airports without the technology.

8. The FAA defended the system's overall reliability, saying it functions almost 99% of the time and that airports where it's located cover the majority of commercial flights.

     A crucial safety system that’s relied on to avoid potentially fatal collisions at major US airports is aging and plagued by outages that have left travellers unprotected for months at a time. At some airports, it hasn’t ever been installed.

     The Federal Aviation Administration’s Air Traffic Control System (ATCS) is a network of radar and communications facilities that help controllers manage the flow of aircraft in and out of the country’s airports.

     The ATCS is critical to the safety of air travel, as it helps controllers prevent collisions between aircraft. However, the system is aging and is in need of replacement.

     As of 2016, the ATCS was made up of more than 50 separate systems that are used to communicate with aircraft. These systems are aging and need to be replaced, but the FAA has not yet decided whether to replace them all at once or piecemeal.

     The ATCS has been plagued by outages for years. In 2016, there were more than 100 outages that left travellers unprotected for up to six months.

     One of the biggest problems with the ATCS is that it is not always installed at major US airports. As of 2017, only 54% of the airports in the US had an ATCS system.

     If the ATCS system is not installed at a major airport, then controllers rely on other systems to help them manage the flow of aircraft. These systems include radar and satellite systems.

     However, these systems are also aging and are in need of replacement. As of 2017, only about half of the US airports had a radar system.

     If the ATCS system is not installed at a major airport, then controllers rely on other systems to help them manage the flow of aircraft. These systems include radar and satellite systems.

     However, these systems are also aging and are in need of replacement. As of 2017, only about half of the US airports had a radar system.

     If the ATCS system is not installed at a major airport, then controllers rely on other systems to help them manage the flow of aircraft. These systems include radar and satellite systems.

     However, these systems are also aging and are in need of replacement. As of 2017, only about half of the US airports had a radar system.

     If the ATCS system is not installed at a major airport, then controllers rely on other systems to help them manage the flow of aircraft. These systems include radar and satellite systems.

     However, these systems are also aging and are in need of replacement. As of 2017, only about half of the US airports had a radar system.

     If the ATCS system is not installed at a major airport, then controllers rely on other systems to help them manage the flow of aircraft. These systems include radar and satellite systems.

     However, these systems are also aging and

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