- February 7, 2025
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Daytona Beach International Airport has earned the 2023 Southern Region Air Carrier Airport Safety Award from the Federal Aviation Administration.
The award was presented Tuesday, Feb. 4, during the 2025 Southern Region Airports Conference being held this week in Atlanta, Georgia. DAB was also nominated for the award for 2024.
“It is an honor to work with professionals of high caliber, whose hard work and dedication produce outstanding results,” said Stephen E. Hicks, director of Airport’s Division for the FAA. “Please keep up the good work of making the safest, most efficient aerospace in the world."
DAB was recognized for improvements to the airport’s Foreign Object Debris program. This enhanced program provides additional monitoring and sweeping of the airfield and includes a new Elgin Crosswind FSX street sweeper and other FOD equipment. In addition, the airport implemented a $16 million security upgrade, which includes new access control, cameras, and integration of Airport Control with the airport operation center. The airport’s operations team also initiated a program that allows for the collection of data on bird strike events, which will ultimately help to mitigate wildlife strikes. Another factor in DAB’s safety program is public safety personnel.
The airport’s Aircraft Rescue & Fire Fighting team includes officers and firefighters from Volusia County Fire Rescue. The process to become an active ARFF team member involves both specialized classroom and hands-on training, exceeding the FAA requirements found in the Federal Aviation Regulations Part 139. The airport’s law enforcement services are contracted through the Volusia Sheriff’s Office which includes 24-hour coverage with a K-9 team — the airport has four K-9 teams in all.
Airport Director Karen Feaster said the recognition is a testament to the commitment of the DAB team to provide the highest level of safety.
“Everyone who works at DAB plays a role in safety, and this team is always working to enhance our programs and initiate additional safety measures, such as the data collection for bird strikes,” Feaster said. Programs like that are not required but they are significant in determining the why and how of these strikes which helps with mitigation.”
In addition to this FAA safety award, DAB was named the Commercial Service Airport of the Year by the Florida Department of Transportation in 2024 and 2021.
