The number of severe runway incursions in the U.S. increased 44% in 2025, according to an FAA Safety Team notice published Friday. More than 1,600 runway incursions were recorded during the year, while the overall number of events declined about 1%.
Serious Incursions Move Higher
“While the total number of runway incursions (over 1,600) decreased by about 1%, ‘severe’ (Category A & B) incursions increased by 44%,” the FAA Safety Team said in the notice.
The FAA classifies Category A and B incursions as its two most serious categories. Category A events involve situations in which a collision was narrowly avoided, while Category B events involve reduced separation and significant collision potential that could require a time-critical corrective or evasive response.
The FAA reported nine Category A and B incursions during fiscal 2024, meaning a 44% increase should put the 2025 total at 13. The FAASTeam notice does not specify whether its 2025 figures represent fiscal-year or calendar-year data, though.
FAA Data Review Draws Scrutiny
“FAA lacks an integrated approach for analyzing runway incursion data and identifying risks,” the DOT inspector general said in a March report.
The audit found that runway-incursion data was largely being used for airport-specific analysis and said limitations in available causal data made broader analysis more difficult.
The new figures appeared in an FAASTeam notice following the annual runway safety and pilot-controller forum at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu. The notice also urged pilots operating at HNL to review the airport’s designated hot spots and remain alert while operating in its Class B airspace. In its March report, the DOT inspector general said pilot deviations accounted for nearly 62% of the 1,758 runway incursions recorded during fiscal 2024.
It needs to be known how ground operations impact theses incidents. I would think many of these conflicts are caused by runway incursions.
We could have automated tugs moving aircraft on the ground - reducing pilot and controller work loads and engine run time. Fuel savings would pay for equipment/systems
When the A and B incursions amount to around 10 per year, +/- 3 can have a huge impact on the percentages.