The number of safety incidents on Canadian runways is on the rise, having reached new highs in recent years even as the tally of extremely close calls seems to be levelling off.
Data from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada shows that so-called runway incursions — when a plane, vehicle or person winds up on or near a runway when they shouldn’t be — hit a record 639 in 2024, the latest full year for which the watchdog has statistics.
However, the number of incidents categorized as high-risk has settled down to about one per year on average since 2018, well below figures from the preceding decade.
Safety board chairman Yoan Marier says the upward trajectory of runway incidents overall is worrying nonetheless. It stems partly from growing air traffic, a shortage of air traffic controllers and increasingly complex ground operations at large airports.
"Pearson is a very complex operating environment. There are a lot of things happening at the same time. The layout is also very complex, so pilots who are not used to operating there can have issues," he said of Toronto's main airport.
"Even an incursion that doesn't initially cause a risk of collision, it's still a big deal."
Not only is the sheer tally of runway incidents on the rise, but so is the rate, which roughly doubled between 2010 and 2024.
"If traffic increases, you would expect the number of incursions to increase as well. But what's worrying to us at the TSB is also the increasing rate," Marier said.
He has called for better signage and lighting as well as broader uptake of technology to keep pilots and controllers more attuned to movements on the tarmac.
The issue of runway safety garnered renewed attention last month after an Air Canada Express jet plowed into a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport, killing both pilots and sending dozens to hospital.
While no recent collision has stemmed from a runway incursion in Canada, the risk "remains elevated until stronger defences are in place," the safety board states on its website.
Marier stressed that flying continues to be among the safest modes of transportation and runway incidents are very rare.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
