Runway Safety - News and Publications: What is Runway Safety?

Runway Safety Goal

To improve Runway Safety in the United States by decreasing the number and severity of Surface Incidents and Runway Incursions.

• Reducing the risk of runway incursions is one of the FAA's top priorities. The number of serious runway incursions - called Category A and B - dropped by more than 63 percent from fiscal year 2000 through fiscal year 2008. In the first quarter of fiscal year 2009, there were no serious runway incursions. That is an all-time low for a three month period.
• Given that there were nearly 30 million flights in the U.S. last year, a passenger would have to board more than three million flights before having the probability of being involved in a serious runway incursion. Put another way, a passenger would have to board a flight every day in the U.S. for more than nine thousand years before having the same probability.