Overview

• As of June 2025, more than 700 Boeing 737s have been fitted with SmartRunway and SmartLanding software under Southwest’s ongoing safety upgrade.
• The software uses Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System data to provide pilots with visual, audio alarms for taxiway incursions, high-speed landings, unstable approaches, and runway misalignments.
• Southwest initiated activations in early 2024 following a spate of runway close calls at crowded airports to strengthen pilot situational awareness.
• An August 2024 FAA advisory panel recommended mandating cockpit alert systems on new aircraft, a measure now under FAA review.
• Honeywell’s next-generation Surface Alerts (SURF-A) is undergoing testing with certification expected in 2026 pending regulatory approval.