The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday it will equip nearly 2,000 airport vehicles with transponders after a fire truck crashed into a landing passenger plane at New York’s LaGuardia International Airport earlier this year.
The agency said it will use $16.5 million from the 2025 GOP megalaw to incorporate transponders for 1,900 vehicles across 44 airports.
In its release, the FAA said it had “been planning this project for several months” and was accelerated following the March 22 crash, which killed both pilots of the Jazz Aviation aircraft. The aircraft was operating on behalf of Air Canada.
“Vehicle Movement Area Transmitters (VMATs) help prevent dangerous runway incidents and by accelerating the deployment of this technology, we’re closing critical visibility gaps on our nation’s runways and taxiways,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said in a statement.
