US FAA holding runway safety meetings after close call incidents

[August 22, 2023]  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said on Tuesday it will hold runway safety meetings at 90 airports over the next few weeks after a series of troubling close call aviation incidents.

On Aug. 12, the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said they were investigating a near collision between a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 and a Cessna Citation 560X business jet in San Diego.  

A Southwest Airlines plane approaches to land at San Diego International Airport as U.S. telecom companies, airlines and the FAA continue to discuss the potential impact of 5G wireless services on aircraft electronics in San Diego, California, U.S., January 6, 2022. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

The NTSB is investigating seven runway incursion events since January, including the San Diego incident. In March, the FAA said it was taking steps to improve its air traffic control operations after near-miss incidents telling employees: "There is no question that we are seeing too many close calls."

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)

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