Runway incursions – vehicle, aircraft or person (RI-VAP)

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Runway incursions 2026

In 2025, 57 runway incursions, i.e., cases where an aircraft, vehicle, or person was incorrectly on a runway or its protected area, were reported in Finland.

The number was exactly at the level of the 2015–2024 average (57.7).

Two runway incursions were classified as serious incidents. Also over the past ten years, runway incursions have resulted in an average of 1–2 serious incidents annually. No accidents have resulted from them in Finland.

In the first serious incident of last year, a general aviation aircraft performed a takeoff from a runway at the same time as a sweeper vehicle was on the runway maintaining it. However, a collision was avoided. Often in previous years, serious incidents have occurred at uncontrolled aerodromes. This case occurred at an airport, but at the time of the event, air traffic control was closed, meaning the airport was practically an uncontrolled aerodrome. However, maintenance may need to access the runway area during these times as well.

Operations outside air traffic control opening hours were addressed in a safety bulletin published on April 30, 2025, which stated that maintenance always monitors the aerodrome frequency. When an aircraft announces, for example, that it is coming in for landing or departing, the operational instruction for maintenance is to vacate the area as quickly as possible. However, in some situations, immediate vacating is not possible, so it is important that the pilot performs a check based on visual observation of the situation and ensures that the runway is clear before takeoff or landing.

In the second serious incident, a general aviation aircraft landed on a closed section of the runway. Due to construction work at the airport, the runway threshold had been displaced, and the area preceding it was closed. More serious consequences were avoided.

According to the definition, a runway incursion is a situation where an aircraft, vehicle, or person enters a runway or its protected area without permission or otherwise incorrectly. At uncontrolled aerodromes (or airports outside air traffic control opening hours), there is no air traffic control to give clearances for the runway. Even there, situations occurring on the runway can be classified as runway incursions if it is assessed that another aircraft, vehicle, or person has entered the runway in a significantly incorrect manner.

One of the runway incursions was classified as a serious incident. Over the past ten years, runway incursions have resulted in an average of just under two serious incidents per year. The 2024 serious incident occurred at an uncontrolled aerodrome, as has been typical in previous years. In the incident, a glider was forced to abort its landing and go around when a van appeared on the runway.

Runway incursions have not caused any accidents in Finland in the last ten years.

A runway incursion is defined as a situation in which an aircraft, vehicle or person enters a runway or its protected area without permission or otherwise in error. At uncontrolled aerodromes where there is no air traffic control to issue runway clearances, incursions are classified as runway incursions if it is assessed that another aircraft, vehicle or person has entered the runway in a significant error.

Aircraft

Last year, 29 runway incursions caused by aircraft were reported in Finland. The number was below the 2015–2024 average but slightly higher than the previous year.

In previous years, runway incursions have typically occurred in general aviation and military aviation, and this was also the case last year. In general aviation, the number of cases remained below the average, but in military aviation, they were slightly above it. On the other hand, general aviation runway incursions caused 2 serious incidents, which is slightly more than the average.

Military aviation cases were located at airports where military activity is common, i.e., Jyväskylä, Rovaniemi, Kuopio, and Utti. In general aviation, situations occurred fairly evenly across Finland. Plenty of general aviation training activity takes place in Pori, and that is also where the most runway incursions occurred.

In commercial air transport, runway incursions were above the average in the previous year, but last year the numbers returned to the average level.

Last year, runway incursions occurred equally often in connection with landing and takeoff. Typically, for one reason or another, the pilot does not remember to wait for the air traffic control's takeoff or landing clearance before commencing the takeoff run or performing the landing.

Globally, no serious accidents occurred due to runway incursions. Possibly the most serious case occurred in Nice, France, in September. In that incident, a landing passenger aircraft flew very close over another aircraft waiting for takeoff clearance on the runway. The airport has two parallel runways, and based on preliminary investigation information, the landing aircraft had mistaken the landing runway. 

Vehicles

Vehicles caused 23 runway incursions at Finnish airports in 2025. The number was still above the average, as it has been for a few previous years as well. In the only runway incursion classified as a serious incident in the early part of the year, a ground vehicle was involved as the other party, but the aircraft was considered the actual cause of the runway incursion. This case has been described in more detail above in the runway incursion situation overview.

The majority of runway incursions caused by vehicles occurred again during the winter months, when maintenance needs to access the runway to clear it of snow. Again, a typical case was a situation where the driver, for one reason or another, forgot to request the necessary permission before driving onto the runway.

The majority of last year's cases occurred in Rovaniemi, followed by Helsinki and then Kittilä, Ivalo, and Kuusamo. The locations emphasize airports in Northern Finland. The number of runway incursions occurring in Helsinki dropped by half compared to the previous year.

Thus, the number of runway incursions caused by vehicles remained above the average last year despite several measures that airport operators have taken to reduce their number.

Persons

Last year, 11 runway incursions caused by persons were reported. The number was slightly below the average, although clearly higher than in a few previous years. Typically, runway incursions caused by persons have occurred at uncontrolled aerodromes, but last year the majority of situations occurred at airports.

In the situations occurring at airports, quite many involved a person from the Defence Forces or a person performing maintenance work for them, for example. In addition, several runway incursions were caused when parachutists ended up or moved onto the runway area without permission after or during their jump.

Regarding situations occurring at uncontrolled aerodromes, Nummela has been in the top spot for several years. Last year too, 2 cases were reported from Nummela where an outsider was on the runway area at the same time as an aircraft was coming in for landing. The pilots performed a go-around.

Persons ending up on the runway without permission can be due to many reasons, such as poor knowledge of the area or the aerodrome's operating procedures. Operators of uncontrolled aerodromes have several means at their disposal to prevent such situations. These include, for example, placing warning signs in critical locations, informing in local newspapers, and if necessary, physical protections such as gates or fences, if their installation is possible. In last year's cases, there were signs at the aerodrome warning of movement restrictions, but for one reason or another, they were not obeyed. At airports, on the other hand, persons moving in the movement area or its vicinity must be trained or instructed precisely on operational procedures.

Air traffic control

Air traffic control contributed to the occurrence of a total of 5 runway incursions in 2025. The number was approximately at the level of the long-term average.

Most of the cases occurred at Helsinki Airport, as often in previous years as well. The cases did not cause significant dangerous situations.

The number of runway incursions contributed to by air traffic control has remained quite small for several years, and no significant change was observable in this situation.

Traficom's work to reduce runway incursions

Traficom has published a number of safety bulletins concerning runway incursions over the years. In 2013,  was sent to all aviation licence holders, and in November 2018 was published, which reminded the operators about typical cases of runway incursions.  published in October 2019 discussed the events of summer 2019, including runway incursions. that handled themes such as runway incursions was also published in June 2020. The bulletins still contain useful tips for avoiding runway incursions.

was updated by the European aviation organisations in late 2017. EAPPRI contains numerous recommendations, and all parties should thus go through this document and attempt to implement its recommendations as far as possible. Traficom conducted a survey on the status of implementing the recommendations in Finland in September 2018. According to the answers, about 80% of the EAPPRI recommendations had been implemented or are going to be implemented.