By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Southwest Airlines flight aborted takeoff at Orlando airport on Thursday after it mistakenly began to depart on a taxiway rather than the runway, the latest in a series of recent incidents that have raised concerns about U.S. aviation safety.
An air traffic controller at the Florida airport canceled the takeoff clearance for Southwest Flight 3278 at around 9:30 a.m. ET (1330 GMT) after the aircraft began its takeoff roll on a taxiway that runs parallel to the runway, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
Taxiways are paths used by pilots to move the aircraft between the terminal and the runway.
Southwest said the Boeing 737-800 stopped safely on the taxiway, returned to the gate and no injuries were reported. The National Transportation Safety Board and FAA both said they are investigating the incident.
Southwest said it is engaged with the FAA to understand the circumstances of the event and accommodated customers on another aircraft to their destination.
The FAA in December completed a safety review of Southwest after a series of incidents, including a flight in July that flew at a very low altitude over Tampa Bay and one last April that came within about 400 feet (122 m) of the ocean off Hawaii.
On Wednesday, the FAA said it would install enhanced safety technology at 74 airports by the end of 2026 to help detect runway incursions.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Wednesday that he plans to announce in the next few days a plan to overhaul the U.S. air traffic control system to replace aging technologies.
A fatal Army helicopter and American Airlines regional jet collision on Jan. 29 that killed 67 people near Reagan Washington National Airport rekindled concerns about U.S. aviation safety.
The FAA said in October that it was opening an audit into runway incursion risks at the 45 busiest U.S. airports.
Over the last two years, there have been a series of troubling near-miss incidents that have highlighted the strain on understaffed air traffic control operations.
A persistent shortage of controllers has delayed flights and, at many facilities, controllers are working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks to cover shifts.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chris Reese, Cynthia Osterman and Jamie Freed)
