FAA audits runway incursion risk at major airports

The FAA’s Air Traffic Safety Oversight Service is auditing runway incursion risk at the forty-five busiest airports in the United States. The audit, which began last month, is expected to be completed in early 2025, according to an FAA release. The audit will include: A risk profile for each airport; Identification of potential gaps in procedures, equipment and processes; and Safety recommendations. [caption id="attachment_57146845" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Indianapolis is one of the airports with Surface Awareness Initiative systems in place. (Courtesy/Indianapolis Airport Authority)[/caption] Incursions on runway A runway incursion involves an unauthorized aircraft, vehicle or person in an area designated for aircraft takeoff and landing, according to the FAA. Serious runway incursions involve an aircraft collision or a narrowly avoided collision. The number of serious runway incidents has decreased so far in 2024, the FAA told Cargo Facts . In the first eight months of the year, the rate of serious runway incursions decreased 73% from the same period in 2023, from 0.49 per 1 million airport operations to 0.13 per 1 million operations. However, several near collisions involving passenger aircraft in the months before the FAA announced the audit were reported. On Aug. 10 a serious runway collision occurred when an A320 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) crossed a runway without air traffic control permission after a second A320 had been given permission to land there. On Oct. 10, an Alaska Airlines plane nearly collided with a Southwest Airlines aircraft due to an air traffic control error at Nashville International Airport (BNA). Air traffic controllers had cleared the Alaska pilots to take off after clearing the Southwest pilots to cross the same runway. Runway incursion prevention The FAA launched new Surface Awareness Initiative (SAI) systems this year to reduce the risk of runway incursions by improving air traffic controllers’ situational awareness, the FAA told Cargo Facts . The systems are operational at the following airports: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS); Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL); Indianapolis International Airport (IND); and Nashville International Airport (BNA). SAI uses automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data to display surface traffic to controllers at airports without a surface surveillance tool. Aircraft and ADS-B-equipped vehicles appear as icons on an airport map that depicts runways, taxiways, hold ramps and other areas, the FAA said. Air traffic controller shortage The FAA identifies the top three causes of runway incursions as: Operational incidents, most likely caused by air traffic control error; Pilot deviation; and Pedestrian or vehicle deviation. As of 2023, there were about 1,000 fewer certified professional controllers than in 2013, Jennifer L. Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, told a U.S. Senate subcommittee in November 2023. Staffing shortages lead to overworked controllers and understaffed facilities. In fact, as of January this year, only three of the nation’s 313 air traffic facilities — less than 1% — had enough controllers to meet targets from the FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. The FAA set a goal of hiring 1,800 controllers in 2024 and was able to exceed that goal by hiring 1,811 by the conclusion of fiscal 2024 on Sept. 30, the FAA told Cargo Facts . To expand the controller-training pipeline, the FAA has authorized institutions in the Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative program to provide the same curriculum offered at the FAA Air Traffic Controller Academy. This allows for immediate facility training upon graduation. The FAA recently signed agreements with Tulsa Community College and the University of Oklahoma, the FAA said. Register now for Cargo Facts' essential regional events for industry stakeholders: Cargo Facts LATAM 2025 on Feb. 10-11 at the Pullman Sao Paulo Guarulhos Airport in Brazil; Cargo Facts Asia 2025 on March 24-26 at the W Shanghai in China; and Cargo Facts EMEA 2025 on May 6-8 at the Shangri-La Bosphorus in Turkey.

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