Every safe take-off begins with an unwritten promise: the runway will perform exactly as expected. This expectation is increasingly being scrutinised as aviation regulators tighten inspection intervals, standardise surface condition reporting, and demand detailed, time-stamped digital records. These changes are relevant to airport engineers, inspectors, and anyone who travels. A healthy runway benefits all of us.

Why the runway inspection market matters now?

Several forces are converging to make runway inspection a priority investment for airports and operators:

• Regulatory pressure: Global regulators have tightened reporting and response requirements for runway surface conditions (ICAO Annex 14, EASA CS-ADR, and FAA RCAM/FICON frameworks). These rules demand time-stamped, geolocated evidence and fast reporting when conditions change.
• Operational exposure: Aircraft on Ground (AOG) events and runway closures are extremely costly. A single day of runway closure can cost millions of dollars in combined lost revenue and operational disruption. Major hubs can face tens of millions per day, and small regional airport can face losing less than a million dollars a day, which explains the high priority of maintaining runway operations (note: estimate of potential tens of millions per day of complete runway closure or halted operations can be typically based on daily flight traffic, average ticket revenue, airport fees, retail and concessions, crew accommodation, additional transport, fuel and other costs for the aircraft and operational ripple effects).
• Safety risk: Runway excursions and degraded surface conditions remain a leading systemic risk in commercial aviation, prompting airports to seek better detection and prevention tools.
• Technology readiness: Advances in optical imaging, photogrammetry, LiDAR, radar, and integration with AI now make high-resolution, repeatable inspection feasible and cheaper at scale.

Market segment and size

The runway inspection market is experiencing significant growth. Ranging from major commercial and defence airports to grass airstrips and private airstrips, even disused or auxiliary airfields, there around 1600 airports in the UK. For the total global inventory of airports, including every airfield, strip, and aerodrome, whether commercial, defence, private, or unused, the estimate climbs to around 44,000.

The combined Airport Runway Inspection Service (Verified Market Research), Runway Debris Monitoring System (RDMS) (Business Research Insights), and Precision Runway Monitoring (PRM) (Verified Market Research) markets were valued at approximately USD 10.43 billion in 2024–2025 and are projected to grow significantly over the next decade. The Airport Runway Inspection Service Market alone is expected to reach USD 21.3 billion by 2031 at a CAGR of 10.82% (Verified Market Research), while the PRM and RDMS markets are also forecasted to expand steadily, driven by increasing demand for surface condition inspection and predictive maintenance in airport airside operations.

What airport customers want, and will pay for?

Airport airside operations and maintenance teams have three non-negotiable needs:

1. Rapid, Reliable Situational Awareness: To support effective GO/NO-GO decisions.
2. Traceable, Auditable Evidence: To satisfy regulators, insurance organisations.
3. Cost Control: Fewer manual inspections, fewer unscheduled closures, and optimized maintenance programs

These translate into commercial opportunities: recurring subscription revenue for analytics platforms; per-inspection or managed-service fees; hardware sales and integration; and upsells for predictive maintenance modules. Proof-of-value can be expressed in fewer inspection hours, fewer diversions, and avoided runway closures, i.e., savings that are easy to quantify for large airports.

Sequetrics business proposition

Sequetrics aims to capture this market by offering an integrated, sensor-rich inspection ecosystem combining drone and vehicle-mounted multi-modal sensors, with analytics platform. Key elements of the proposition:

• Multi-modal sensing: Application of multi-modal sensing  to quantify surface conditions, water/ice retention, debris, and profile distortions at high-resolution (small spots, tiny cracks, contamination), which can enable objective, quantifiable, and predictive runway condition reporting.
• Rapid and auditable reporting: Every scan is time-stamped, geolocated, and mapped to regulatory frameworks so airside teams can generate Field Condition (FICON) report, Runway Condition Assessment Matrix (RCAM) style report, or International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) compatible condition codes quickly.
• Predictive analytics: Using historical data, documenting tolerances plus environmental inputs to forecast surface degradation and optimise maintenance windows.
• Operational fit: Drone and vehicle deployments designed to minimise disruption, plus integrations with airport operations control centres. Overall, to provide real (or near)-time insights, risk mitigation, and operational efficiency for airport authorities, safety personnel, and maintenance teams.

Sequetrics go-to-market mixes product scanner sales, analytics subscriptions, and managed inspection contracts. This hybrid model can let airports adopt incrementally starting with pilot, extend to regular inspections, then move to predictive maintenance, thereby reducing friction for procurement committees.

Competitive and commercial considerations

Several vendors supply discrete Foreign Object Debris (FOD) detectors, friction testers, or runway scanners, but the market is fragmented. The real commercial advantage accrues to firms that deliver an end-to-end, reliable, and secure solution that aligns outputs directly with regulatory reporting needs. Data security and auditability (GDPR-compliant storage, encrypted device data) and demonstrable regulatory alignment form important competitive differentiators. Additionally, insurance and liability dynamics also open interesting routes to adoption. Insurers and brokers may incentivise adoption where independent, scientifically assured condition data reduces underwriting uncertainty.

Return on investment (ROI): How airports see value?

Airports calculate ROI from fewer inspection hours, fewer delays/diversions, reduced emergency repairs, and extended pavement life through proactive maintenance. For busy hubs where a single day of runway closure can cost millions, even modest reductions in closure risk or inspection time produce rapid payback. For regional airports, cost savings in staff time and improved operational reliability are compelling.

Why now matters?

Passenger volumes are rebounding, and extreme weather events are increasing. Regulators are clear about evidence and timelines. Technology and analytics have matured. These three facts make runway inspection an urgent operational and commercial priority. not a distant nice-to-have. Sequetrics positions itself at the intersection of these trends: sensor innovation, robust analytics, regulatory alignment, and pragmatic service delivery. For airports looking to turn runway inspection from a compliance burden into a strategic capability, the business case for switching to digital, intelligent inspection is already persuasive.

Sources References

• Verified Market Research (2021). Global Airport Runway Inspection Services Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Service Type, By Application, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2022 – 2030.
• Insight SRI Ltd (2007). The Economic Cost of FOD to Airlines.
• International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Annex 14: Aerodromes.
• European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Certification Specifications for Aerodromes (CS-ADR).
• Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Advisory Circular 150/5200-30D: Airport Winter Safety and Operations.