Runway Safety Awareness Day

The Air Transport Association of America (ATA), the industry trade organization representing the major U.S. airlines, has sent an open letter to all commercial pilots announcing that Feb. 12 is Runway Safety Awareness Day. ATA believes the cornerstone of the commercial aviation industry is and remains safety. The airlines, pilots, airport operators, FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board continue to work collaboratively to strive to achieve zero fatalities and accidents. Runway Safety Awareness Day---a day dedicated to furthering the industry’s commitment to make the skies and runways as safe as possible---is one of a series of initiatives designed to reduce the risk of runway incursions. The goal of this cooperative effort among key stakeholders is to reach, on one day, tens of thousands of pilots representing the U.S. airlines. “The ongoing collective efforts by airlines, pilots and the government yielded unprecedented levels of safety that a decade ago seemed implausible,” said ATA President and CEO James C. May. “Even with this exceptional safety record, we are committed to further improvements, with a particular focus on runway safety. One incursion is one too many and that increased awareness is imperative to improving an already stellar safety record.”