UPDATE 1-Canada transport safety agency flags concerns over record cases of runway incursions

Over the last few years, a series of near-miss incidents has raised broader concerns over aviation safety in multiple countries, including the U.S., where there are also worries about the strain on understaffed air traffic control operations.

(Adds context from the U.S.) MONTREAL, October 15 -

Canada's Transportation Safety Board flagged on Wednesday fresh concerns over near-misses between aircraft after cases of runway incursions in the country hit a record high last year, despite no recent cases of actual collisions. The transport safety agency called in its annual watch list for improved use of technology and infrastructure, after data from air traffic service provider NAV Canada showed runway incursions jumped to 639 last year from 566 in 2023, the largest number on record in the 15 years for which data are available.

A runway incursion is when an aircraft or vehicle is incorrectly present on a runway designated for the landing or take off of aircraft. Over the last few years, a series of near-miss incidents has raised broader concerns over aviation safety in multiple countries, including the U.S., where there are also worries about the strain on understaffed air traffic control operations. In February, a Southwest Airlines flight was less than 200 feet behind a business jet when the commercial airline pilot aborted the landing and made an emergency maneuver to narrowly avoid a collision at Chicago Midway Airport.

Such recent high-profile runway incidents are building pressure on aviation authorities to make cockpit alert systems designed to prevent incursions mandatory.

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