This situation overview provides information on ground collisions in absolute terms and by aviation categories and on related events. The information is produced by the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom and updated in English annually. In Finnish the information is updated twice a year.
N.B: For most up-to-date information on ground collisions, change language selection to Finnish.
Collisions while taxiing to or from a runway (GCOL) 2025
Last year, 6 GCOL cases were reported, i.e., situations where a collision occurred while the aircraft was taxiing or air-taxiing. The number was double compared to the 2015–2024 average (3). In the previous year, there were no GCOL-type cases.
3 cases were classified as serious incidents and 1 as an accident.
Last year, the early part of the year went quite well, but in the latter part of the year, a few hits occurred that also received media attention. These raised the total number to a relatively high level.
The case classified as an accident occurred in Helsinki in August, where an ATR-type aircraft started moving unexpectedly after start-up, and its rotating propellers struck a Ground Power Unit (GPU). The unit was destroyed, and the propellers suffered significant damage. According to current information, the aircraft's parking brake was not engaged when starting the engines. The Safety Investigation Authority initiated investigation L2025-02 (External link) regarding the case.
Serious incidents occurred mainly in commercial air transport, with Helsinki and Kittilä as locations. In August in Helsinki, the wing of a foreign airliner struck a stair truck parked in the wrong place. The Safety Investigation Authority also initiated an investigation (L2025-03 (External link)) regarding this.
The last case of the year occurred in Kittilä, when in difficult weather conditions a foreign airliner spun on the taxiway after landing and hit a snowbank next to the taxiway.
Types of incidents that contribute to GCOL situations
Factors contributing to GCOL situations are closely monitored and include, among others, interference with aircraft pushback or taxi, inadequate apron control, damage during ground handling, and FOD (Foreign Object Debris) in the traffic area and apron. In addition, reports related to the condition of the apron and taxiways are monitored.
Here are a few highlights based on this monitoring:
Cases related to inadequate apron supervision involved, for example, situations where passengers were able to move outside designated areas or without required supervision. This can cause a safety risk, such as injury to a passenger.
Last year, the numbers were above the average. The majority occurred at Helsinki Airport, as before. The number of reports related to the topic received from airports in Northern Finland was also elevated last year. Last year, the number of various tourist flights to Lapland was record-high, which also caused great pressure on airports and passenger management both in the terminal and on the apron.
The number of reports related to the condition of the apron and taxiways was approximately at the average. The reports mainly concerned the slipperiness of airport aprons and taxiways, so outside the winter season, case numbers remained low.
The majority were made from Helsinki Airport, but numerically the number of reports concerning Helsinki decreased compared to the previous year. Plenty of reports concerning the topic were made in Helsinki in 2022, and following the measures taken since then, the situation has improved. The next most reports were made from Rovaniemi.
In January, there were extremely slippery conditions in Oulu on one day, and a foreign airliner slid partially off the taxiway. The aircraft was towed back onto the taxiway without major damage. At the same time, an aircraft coming in for landing on the runway also reported a runway that was more slippery than expected but managed to land successfully. The situation regarding cases where runway condition has been reported deficiently has been discussed in the Runway Excursions section.
Towards the end of the year, conditions especially at airports in Northern Finland were difficult due to severe frost and, on the other hand, strong winds prevailing on individual days. Although runways were mainly kept in good condition, not all taxiways and aprons were. This was visible, for example, as the Kittilä GCOL case on December 27, 2025, when an aircraft could not stay on the slippery taxiway in the strong wind but spun off it. At the same time, another slightly smaller aircraft also spun on the slippery surface on the apron in the wind.
In severe frost, surfaces are often not particularly slippery; rather, friction is good. When the temperature hovers near zero, conditions are the most difficult from a maintenance perspective. In Finland, aprons or taxiways are not sanded, as sand can cause damage to aircraft engines and other structures.
Regarding interference with aircraft pushback and taxiing, the number of cases was clearly above the average and also higher than the previous year. Numbers were elevated both in Finland and abroad. In Finland, especially the number of cases reported in Helsinki grew clearly.
Approx. 90% occurred at Helsinki Airport and the rest at airports in Northern Finland, mainly in Rovaniemi. In typical situations, a ground vehicle drove either in front of a taxiing aircraft or behind an aircraft being pushed back, leading to the interruption of taxiing or pushback. To ensure flight safety, there is a basic rule at airports that ground vehicles must always give way to an aircraft when its anti-collision lights are on.
The number of damages occurring during ground handling was above the long-term average. These typically involved cases where a ground handling vehicle or other equipment strikes the aircraft. The aircraft may be stationary, under tow, or in pushback. In Finland, the situations have mainly occurred at Helsinki Airport, but this number is not significantly above the average.
In contrast, the number of damages occurring abroad was on the rise. Often the dents were detected at the stage when a ground handling person performed an arrival inspection on an aircraft arriving in Helsinki. Departure airports were on a very wide scale around the world.
Reports related to FOD (Foreign Object Debris/Damage) were made clearly more last year than in previous years and the average. This indicator monitors cases where an object or material in the wrong place in the movement area or apron causes or could cause damage or danger to the aircraft, environment, or persons. The cases did not cause significant damage last year.
Most often, the location was Helsinki, as in previous years. The increase in the number of cases may also be influenced by improved reporting activity, when even small extraneous objects are reported.