Rates of runway incursions double over the past decade in Canada

American aviation regulators are investigating after two planes full of passengers nearly collided on a runaway in New York last week. As Craig Momney reports, Canada safety boards want more measures put in place to prevent incursions like these from happening here.

American aviation regulators are investigating after two planes nearly collided on a runaway in New York last week, and Canadian safety boards want more measures put in place to prevent close calls from happening here.

A runway incursion is an aviation term for the improper positioning of vehicles, planes or people on any airport runway or its protected area — being in the wrong place at the wrong time, essentially.

The rate of runway incursions is a concern for national airline safety boards, as the number of incidents have doubled over the past decade.

According to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, the number of incidents in the country grew from 5.3 incursions per 100,000 arrivals and departures in 2010 to 10.7 in 2021.

“While none of them have resulted in a collision, the point is, is that’s suggests there’s an elevated level of risk and that needs to be addressed,” said Kathy Fox, a former air traffic controller and current chair of the TSB.

In 2021, Nav Canada recorded 471 runway incursions on Canadian runways.