PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia International Airport has completed a major upgrade to one of its runways in an effort to make air travel safer.
Philadelphia’s Department of Aviation and the Federal Aviation Administration were on hand Tuesday to announce the installation of the airport’s first Engineered Material Arresting System, also known as EMAS, at Runway 8-26.
The system uses crushable material designed to stop an aircraft that runs off the end of the runway, safely bringing a plane traveling up to 70 knots —- about 80 miles per hour —- to a full stop.
The $8.5 million project was funded by a federal grant and involved laying more than 2,000 specially-engineered tiles at the eastern end of the runway.
Mayor Cherelle Parker called the new system both a safety win and an investment in the region’s future.
“I’m happy that we were all able to access these federal funds and implement this vital safety improvement to Runway 8-26,” she said. “PHL enhances the overall economic competitiveness and growth of our region by providing access to new markets, enabling the efficient movement of goods, and building quite frankly the region’s attractiveness and quality of life.”
Philadelphia is now one of more than 60 airports nationwide using EMAS on runways.