USA – Cirrus Aircraft announced on 30 September 2025 that it has delivered a fleet of SR Series G7+ aircraft—equipped with Safe Return™ Emergency Autoland by Garmin®—to Texas Southern University (TSU), marking TSU as the world’s first university operating a training fleet with autonomous emergency landing capability.

• The SR Series G7+ delivery augments TSU’s existing SR Series G7 fleet and aligns with TSU’s expansion of its flight training programs, notably its new aviation campus at Ellington Airport.

• Safe Return Emergency Autoland enables any occupant in the cabin to activate a one‑button system that autonomously flies the aircraft to a suitable airport, avoids terrain/obstacles and weather, communicates with ATC, lands, brings the plane to a full stop, and shuts down the engine.

• This system integrates with Cirrus’s existing safety stack—including the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System® (CAPS®)—to further strengthen the safety envelope.

• The SR Series G7 is historically Cirrus’s best‑selling high‑performance single-engine piston line (over 10,000 deliveries, 19 million flight hours). Cirrus estimates more than 280 lives have been saved by CAPS to date.

• With the G7+, Safe Return becomes standard equipment across the SR Series line.

• Cirrus has also obtained Transport Canada validation for the Safe Return system in the G7+ platform, expanding regulatory acceptance.

• TSU leadership framed the acquisition as a landmark investment in innovation, positioning the university as a forward‑looking institution for aviation education among historically Black public universities.

Statements:

• “Congratulations to Texas Southern University and the Department of Aviation Science and Technology on their new fleet of SR Series G7+ equipped with Safe Return Emergency Autoland. Texas Southern University is the first university with an advanced aircraft featuring robust safety systems to invite more people to learn how to fly, better train students and provide added peace of mind.” –  Zean Nielsen, Chief Executive Officer, Cirrus

• “The acquisition of this new fleet of advanced technology aircraft marks a defining moment in the continued ascent of Texas Southern University Aviation. This investment signals our institution’s commitment to excellence and innovation and opens the door to boundless opportunities for current and future Texas Southern University students.” – said President J. W. Crawford III

Source: Cirrus Aircraft