Runway Safety

A Global Initiative

Following the runway incursion accident in Milan that resulted in many fatalities, and with evidence that runway incursions were becoming more prominent as traffic levels grow, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) commissioned a Runway Safety Study Group to develop best practice guidance material for States and other aviation organisations.

The study group set about collating a range of best practice principles and methodologies aimed at assisting States to identify risk factors inherent in runway safety and methodologies to mitigate them. Additionally, they agreed to align to the ICAO runway incursion definition and to suggest a standardised way of reporting incidents and assessing their severity. A key concept was the use of local runway safety teams (RSTs).

The best practice guidance developed by the study group has been published in an ICAO document known as the Runway Safety Manual.

Airservices Initiative

Airservices has taken action to mitigate the risk of runway incursions. A group called the “Runway Incursion Group” (RIG) was established to take a national perspective on runway incursions and to facilitate greater awareness among operators and end users.

Besides monitoring and regularly reviewing runway incursion incident data, the group has implemented a confidential human factors based survey that is issued to pilots and airside ground staff involved in a runway incursion. Another important activity has been the promotion of Runway Safety Teams at controlled aerodromes.

Other activities being undertaken by the RIG include:

• Development of HOTSPOT posters for display in airline briefing centres and at aero clubs and other organisations.
• Coordination of hotspot aerodrome diagrams for inclusion in ERSA
• Development of Runway Safety posters
• Development of a Runway Safety brochure to be distributed to pilots
• Development of a Runway Safety brochure to be distributed to vehicle drivers
• In conjunction with CASA, production of a video detailing runway safety issues from a pilots perspective.