Four employees at Chicago O’Hare International Airport have been disciplined following incidents of runway incursions that occurred between January and July 2024. These breaches involved ground vehicles erroneously entering active runways, leading to safety concerns that demanded administrative responses.
One notable incident took place on April 21, 2024, when a city-owned vehicle accessed Runway 10C/28C without the necessary clearance from air traffic control (ATC). This lapse nearly caused a collision with an American Eagle aircraft approaching the runway, forcing the plane to abort its landing. The driver of the vehicle was subsequently given a five-day unpaid suspension. The occurrence was highlighted by the Chicago Sun Times, which quoted a city aviation department spokesperson: “Safety is the top priority at the airport” and emphasized the small proportion of overall mishaps relative to the large workforce operating at O’Hare.
Further incidents included a breach on July 2, 2024, involving airport personnel who drove onto Runway 4R/22L without clearance. Despite the runway being inactive at the time, the lack of permission posed significant concerns. The responsible worker was suspended for two days, and a trainee was ticketed but faced no additional penalty. Another earlier breach in January involved a worker driving into a restricted zone when an aircraft was set to land. Disciplinary actions aligned with union protocols recommending “progressive discipline.”
The incidents have foregrounded ongoing issues of runway safety, sparking measures by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to address risks nationwide. The FAA audit of runway incursion risks at major U.S. airports, including Chicago O’Hare, assessed the current procedures, pointing to factors like staffing shortages and outdated air traffic control equipment as contributors to such safety threats.
In response, the FAA has initiated the deployment of runway incursion prevention devices at key U.S. airports. This scheme, part of a broader safety initiative announced in February 2023, aims to mitigate runway safety risks and has already seen installations of new devices at select airports, with plans for broader implementation.
