Mitigating Runway Incursions and Excursions

aerial image of Runway 5-23 showing construction
Construction at Lawrence Municipal Airport (LWM), North Andover, MA, in 2016 to expand Runway 5-23’s safety area and realign Taxiway A to meet Federal airport design standards. Source: Clifford Vacirca

Increasing runway safety through infrastructure improvements stands as one of our top priorities.

More intuitive, less complex taxiway geometries with improved edge lighting, airfield signage, and pavement markings help prevent runway incursions. Recent initiatives, like the Runway Incursion Mitigation (RIM) Program, advance these methods in further reducing runway incursions.

Standard runway safety areas (RSAs) reduce aircraft damage and aviator injury in the event of a runway excursion. Engineered materials arresting systems (EMAS) provide safety area performance in less space at land-constrained airports. Another recent initiative, the General Aviation (GA) RSA Program, looks to improve non-air carrier runway RSAs, similar to the air carrier runway RSA improvements made prior to 2015.

Infrastructure advancements such as these provide proven solutions towards mitigating runway incursions and excursions throughout the nation's airports.

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Last updated: Thursday, September 8, 2022