SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Montgomery Gibbs Executive Airport and San Diego International Airport (SAN) have been identified as having high-risk runway incursions, according to a new study that analyzed Federal Aviation Administration data over three years.
From 2021 to 2024, SAN reported 21 runway incursions, with three categorized as high-risk. During the same period, Montgomery Gibbs experienced 67 incursions, also with three high-risk incidents.
In response, the Surface Awareness Initiative Program (SAI) has been introduced at Montgomery Gibbs to prevent aircraft from entering runways or taxiways at inappropriate times. This system utilizes GPS and sensors to enhance safety.
“I can’t stress enough — aviation is really very, very safe. They just want to be safer,” said Jim Kidrick, president and CEO of the San Diego Air and Space Museum.
Jim Kidrick, a former Navy pilot, expressed confidence in the new technology’s potential to improve air traffic safety. “They’re going to continue to engage the newest in technology that we believe is qualitatively going to improve the safety of air traffic,” he stated.
While the new safety measures are expected to enhance runway safety, a city spokesperson noted that the system would not have prevented a recent crash near Montgomery Gibbs due to air traffic control not being operational at the time.
Officials at SAN did not provide comment on the study at the time of publication.
FOX 5’s Jennifer Franco contributed to this report.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KSWB. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KSWB staff before being published.
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