‘A single incident is all it takes for the consequences to be catastrophic’
Air safety authorities are warning that a fatal runway collision at New York’s LaGuardia Airport involving an Air Canada flight underscores a growing risk that also exists at Canadian airports, according to a report.
The LaGuardia crash – which killed both pilots of Air Canada Flight 8646 – occurred after the aircraft struck a fire truck that was on the runway as the plane was taking off.
Investigators in the United States and Canada say that several layers of safeguards would have had to fail for such an accident to occur, consistent with the “Swiss Cheese Model” of safety in which holes in multiple defences align to allow a major error to pass through, according to a CBC report.
Data show pattern of near misses across country
One of the key risks now under scrutiny is runway incursions – defined as the incorrect presence of a vehicle, person or aircraft on a surface designated for takeoff or landing. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has been warning about the risk of collisions caused by runway incursions since 2010, according to the CBC.
TSB data show there have been 22 runway incursions involving a risk of collision since 2023, according to the report. Six involved another vehicle or piece of equipment, one in North Bay, Ont., involved a person, and the remainder involved another aircraft. There have already been three reportable incursions this year, all in February: one in Toronto involving an aircraft, one in Hamilton involving an aircraft and one in Moncton involving a vehicle or equipment.
Canada has not seen a recent fatal collision linked to a runway incursion, but several serious near misses are under investigation. These incidents highlight ongoing operational pressures and the importance of training, communication and staffing policies for organisations that employ aviation and ground personnel, according to the CBC.
In September 2025, at Toronto Pearson International Airport, an Airbus carrying 122 passengers “during the hours of darkness” nearly collided with a Bombardier aircraft conducting a ground test. According to the TSB report, air traffic control saw the Bombardier moving toward the active runway and instructed the crew to stop, but the aircraft continued rolling “until ATC issued an urgent instruction to stop.” The Bombardier’s nose ended up 35 feet into the runway, and the Airbus became airborne just before reaching the intersection point.
In October 2023 at Calgary International Airport, two ground vehicles inadvertently entered an active runway while an Air Canada Jazz aircraft was accelerating for takeoff. The flight crew saw the vehicles but continued the takeoff, passing about 350 feet above them. A TSB report later found that a ground vehicle driver had misinterpreted instructions from ground control.
In 2024, a total of 193 air transportation accidents were reported to the TSB. This number is 7% higher than the previous year’s total of 181 accidents but 9% below the yearly average of 211 accidents reported in the prior 10 years, 2014 to 2023.
And NAV CANADA recorded 639 runway incursions in Canada in 2024 – the largest number on record in the 15 years for which data are available.
“Each incursion is a warning on our aviation system. These events, no matter how minor they may seem, demand our attention and must never be normalised,” wrote aviation safety expert Marcelo Cabral in a January report for Transport Canada.
Cabral reported that data point to communication problems as the leading factor in incursions, particularly “communication and the assumption that it has occurred.” He warned that “in the busy, high-stakes environment of an airport manoeuvring area, assuming understanding is a risk no one can afford.”
Calls for collaboration, new technology, stronger safeguards
Former TSB chair Wendy Fox told CBC that an increase in air traffic is contributing to the risk. She said controllers are under pressure to move aircraft quickly to reduce delays while maintaining safety. “Safety is first. It’s got to be orderly. But it also has to be expeditious,” she said.
As commercial traffic grows at busy airports, Fox said, “there’s more impetus to get more aircraft up or down quickly to minimise delays and backlogs, then there’s more opportunities for these sorts of things to occur.” This balance between efficiency and safety has direct implications for workforce planning, fatigue management and training policies in aviation‑related workplaces.
To reduce the risk of incursions, the TSB has recommended wider adoption of technologies that improve situational awareness and provide real‑time alerts, according to CBC. Fox pointed to runway status lights used in the United States, which automatically turn red in response to conflicting traffic. She said the danger in Canada is real and rising: “The risk is in Canada, and more can be done and must be done to prevent a collision. Fortunately, we haven’t one, but the numbers are growing and that’s not a positive sign.”
