Taxiway or runway confusion events often are the precursors of runway incursions and, potentially, of ground collisions between two aircraft or between an aircraft and an airport vehicle or construction equipment. Very few of the risk factors are unique. Most can be mitigated by the same safety programs that, in concert with system-level defenses and controls and best practices for flight crews, prevent runway incursions.
Defenses and controls ideally include upgrading and standardizing air carrier fleets to take full advantage of the technologies available. These include proven capabilities cited in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)–endorsed strategic action plan titled Implementing the Global Aviation Safety Roadmap, published in December 2006 as Part 2 of the Roadmap developed by the Industry Safety Strategy Group. These recommendations appear in Appendixes E, F and G, available from the ICAO Flight Safety Information Exchange Web site and from
