Brussels, Belgium – An international pilots association responded to the deadly crash in Brazil by urging cramped urban airports worldwide to install braking systems of soft cement to prevent tragedies when planes overshoot runways.
The statement from the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations recognized that older airports in built-up areas do not have the space to provide long safety strips.
The Britain-based association, which represents 105,000 commercial pilots worldwide, has been lobbying for years for airports to be equipped with at least one 1,000-foot runway overrun area. Where that is not possible, the group said, airports should install soft cement beds known as “engineered materials arrestor systems.” The beds are strong enough to support airport emergency vehicles but disintegrate when a heavy aircraft runs over them, thus acting as a brake.
A similar arrestor system has prevented several planes from ending up in the bay adjacent to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, spokesman Gideon Ewers said.
