"Going forward, zero has to be the only acceptable number for serious incidents and close calls," said Billy Nolen, the FAA's acting administrator. Six serious runway incursions since January prompted the agency to convene a safety summit earlier this month.
The FAA said last week that it was taking steps to improve its air traffic control operations. "There is no question that we are seeing too many close calls," Tim Arel, chief operating officer of the FAA's Air Traffic Organization, said in a message to employees at that time. National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said last month that a FedEx cargo plane and a Southwest Airlines plane had come within 100 feet of each other in what could have been a "terrible tragedy."