New Beijing mega-airport to protect runways with Israeli technology
By 2025, the phoenix-shaped airport is expected to accommodate 72 million passengers and two million tons of cargo annually.
By EYTAN HALONXsight Systems' RunWize threat detection system at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (photo credit: MONI SHAFIR)
Beijing Daxing International Airport (BDIA), the Chinese capital’s vast aviation terminal due to open in September, has selected Rosh Ha’ayin-based Xsight Systems’ foreign object debris (FOD) detection solution to protect its east and north runways.The $12 billion airport, home initially to four runways and a 0.31 million-square-meter terminal building, will use Xsight Systems’ RunWize threat detection solution to continuously monitor the runways and detect any debris or hazards.By 2025, the phoenix-shaped airport is expected to accommodate 72 million passengers and two million tons of cargo annually.In April, Beijing Capital International Airport – the second busiest in the world – also installed RunWize on its East runway. Last year, more than 100 million passengers traveled through the crowded airport, a number that was only surpassed by Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.Seeking to foster rapid expansion of its aviation industry, Chinese authorities aim to have 450 airports in operation by 2035, requiring the commission of approximately 200 new airports.Debris and other potential threats on runways, such as bird strikes, cost the global aviation industry an estimated $12 billion per year.Visitors are seen under a Chinese flag at the terminal hall of the Beijing Daxing International Airport under construction, during a media tour on the outskirts of Beijing (Credit: China Daily via Reuters)RunWize uses artificial intelligence-based image and radar processing algorithms to detect and assess threats on the runway for both planes taking off and landing, such as bird strikes and conditions increasing the danger of runway excursions.The technology complies with regulatory requirements worldwide, while also providing tools to comply with the International Civil Aviation Organization’s upcoming Global Reporting Format, due to enter into force from November 2020.“We are proud that Xsight’s global reputation as an industry leader is acknowledged by the Chinese aviation market,” said Xsight Systems CEO Alex Koren.
“As China is becoming the largest aviation market, with intensive growth in air traffic, there grows the need for a runway threat detection solution to boost both safety and capacity of airport runways.”Other airports using RunWize’s technology include Boston Logan International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Ben-Gurion Airport and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International.The Defense Ministry has also acquired the RunWize system to install at Israel Air Force bases.
