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Port Authority to Equip Airfield Vehicles With Transponders at LaGuardia, JFK and Newark

The step targets blind spots in runway warning systems exposed by the LaGuardia crash.

FILE - Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board investigate the site, March 23, 2026, where an Air Canada jet came to rest after colliding with a Port Authority firetruck at LaGuardia Airport, shortly after landing Sunday night in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
FILE - Firefighters and investigators examine the site, March 23, 2026, where an Air Canada jet came to rest after colliding with a Port Authority firetruck at LaGuardia Airport, after landing Sunday night in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
Port Authority to install tracking transponders on rescue vehicles in wake of deadly LaGuardia Airport crash.
Officials are seen investigating a collision between an Air Canada Express plane and a fire truck on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport last month.

Overview

  • Port Authority officials confirmed Tuesday they will add tracking transponders to fire trucks and other airfield vehicles at the region’s three major airports.
  • The move follows an NTSB preliminary report that found the LaGuardia fire truck lacked a transponder, so ASDE-X, which fuses radar and transponder data, did not trigger a runway-conflict alert.
  • The agency says transponders will let controllers see exact vehicle positions, but the NTSB has not concluded the devices would have prevented the March 22 crash that killed two pilots and injured dozens.
  • Port Authority pointed to FAA guidance issued in May 2025 and a Newark pilot launched in December 2025, and it has not provided a firm installation timeline.
  • A Port Authority spokesman framed the rollout as a targeted safety upgrade, with reports citing about $10,000 per unit, a cost that could shape how quickly other airports adopt similar gear.