Southwest Airlines is to roll out Honeywell’s SmartRunway and SmartLanding software across its entire Boeing 737 fleet to enhance runway safety and pilot situational awareness.

The software is being activated through the airline’s existing Honeywell Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS), which is already installed on all aircraft. To date, more than 700 Southwest Airlines aircraft have been equipped.

SmartRunway and SmartLanding provide pilots with aural and visual alerts during taxi, take-off, and landing, helping prevent unstable approaches and potential runway incidents. The system issues warnings if an aircraft is moving too fast, flying too high on approach, or aligning with the incorrect runway.

Certified for most Boeing and Airbus models – as well as various business jets – the technology aims to reduce the risk of runway excursions and misalignments by alerting crews early in the chain of events that could lead to an accident.

The announcement was made during the Paris Air Show 2025.

Andrew Watterson, chief operating officer at Southwest Airlines, said: “Safety is at the heart of everything we do at Southwest. Honeywell’s SmartRunway and SmartLanding software will provide our pilots with enhanced situational awareness to ensure the highest level of safety while operating on runways throughout the network.”

The agreement furthers Honeywell’s long-standing partnership with Southwest Airlines, the world’s largest 737 platform operator. In 2015, the airline selected Honeywell’s flight-deck systems for its 240-unit order of 737 MAXs, adding to its existing fleet of 737 next generation models flying with Honeywell cockpit avionics. Southwest Airlines was also the first airline to incorporate Honeywell’s Integrated Multi-Mode Receiver technology into its fleet.

Jim Currier, president and chief executive of Honeywell Aerospace Technologies, said: “Today’s pilots face increasing challenges including unpredictable weather and dense traffic in limited airspace, forcing them to make split-second decisions during takeoff and landing. Fortunately, as the challenges evolve, so does the technology that provides the information they need in real time. Southwest is continuing to put pilots and passengers first by investing in SmartRunway and SmartLanding software across its fleet.”

Furthermore, Honeywell says that its runway safety technology, Surface Alerts (SURF-A), is now being tested and is expected to be certified on commercial air transport aircraft in 2026 pending regulatory approvals.

SURF-A is a cockpit alerting software that uses GPS data, Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast equipment and advanced analytics to provide pilots with direct aural and visual alerts of potential runway traffic. Like SmartRunway and SmartLanding, SURF-A is enabled via Honeywell’s EGPWS.

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