For safer runways: Artificial Intelligence takes over at key zones at Bengaluru airport

Bengaluru: In a major tech upgrade, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) has introduced Smart Airside Safety System to reduce risks in the airport's most sensitive operational zones. The newly deployed system focuses on Cross Service Roads (CSRs), critical intersections where taxiing aircraft intersect with ground vehicle movement. These zones have so far relied on manual or semi-manual signalling, which leaves room for human error and is risky in high-traffic and low-visibility conditions. BIAL's solution replaces that dependency with a real-time, AI-driven framework. Using computer vision and intelligent automation, cameras installed at CSR intersections continuously monitor activity, detect vehicle movement, and assess potential right-of-way conflicts. The system can automatically trigger inset warning lights to prioritise aircraft movement and reset signals once the path is clear, a BIAL release stated.This shift is designed to create a "data-driven separation layer" between aircraft and vehicles, significantly reducing the risk of runway incursions or near-miss situations. The move comes amid growing global attention on airside safety lapses. In recent years, several airports worldwide have reported incidents involving unauthorised vehicle crossings, miscommunication between ground staff and cockpit crews, and near-collisions during taxiing in low-visibility conditions. In the recent crash involving an Air Canada Express flight and a firefighting truck at New York's LaGuardia Airport on March 22, both pilots were killed and 40 persons were injured. On Sunday last week, a United Airlines flight hit a truck at Newark Airport in the US. India, too, has seen aviation regulators flagging procedural lapses and the need for tighter coordination in busy airports.Airport only gets busierWhile Bengaluru has maintained a strong safety record, the rapid increase in passenger traffic and aircraft movement has added pressure on ground operations. The city's airport handles an average of 769 aircraft traffic movements a day. Apart from reducing risk, the system is expected to improve turnaround times by minimising unnecessary stoppages for aircraft and service vehicles. Over time, the data collected will also help in predictive analytics: anticipating congestion, identifying recurring violations, and refining protocols.
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