Safety at Mackay Airport has been enhanced with the installation of a new $35,000 runway lighting system.

MPA electrician Travis O'Brien makes a final adjustment on the new threshold strobe lights on Runway 14.

The runway threshold identification lights recently underwent extensive trials and are now operational.

Mackay Port Authority chief executive officer Greg Mann said the strobe lighting system on Runway 14 will further assist pilots in identifying the runway in poor weather conditions.

The new system was embraced by the MPA Board in the wake of an incident involving a Qantaslink 717 passenger jet in May last year.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating claims that the pilot confused the lights on nearby Broadsound Road with the runway lights at Mackay Airport.

Witnesses reported the jet came within 200 metres of landing on the busy road. An air traffic controller at Mackay Airport alerted the pilot about his approach. The pilot aborted the “landing” and made an incident-free touch down at Mackay Airport 10 minutes later.

Mr Mann said pilots were supporting the new threshold lights which could be detected up to 27 kilometres from Mackay Airport.

“The runway lights we had in place complied and met strict regulations set down by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, but as we have said all along safety is paramount,” Mr Mann said.

“These new strobe lights are additional to CASA’s requirements. We are determined to ensure another incident involving Broadsound Road doesn’t happen again.”

Meantime, the ATSB investigation into the May 29 incident is continuing.

Deputy director of air safety investigation, Alan Stray, said investigators were still awaiting “systems data” downloaded from the 717 Qantaslink jet to be assessed by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the United States.

“We are currently working with the NTSB and the aircraft manufacturer Boeing on this issue,” he said.