DIA Ranked 12th Most Dangerous Airport In U.S.

Oct. 12, 2011

DENVER --

Denver International Airport has been ranked the 12th most dangerous airport in the nation, according to an analysis of federal runway safety data.

Travel & Leisure

magazine said DIA had 15 runway safety incidents over the past five years.

The magazine based its safety ranking of the 35 busiest commercial airports in the U.S. on its analysis of the Federal Aviation Administration’s latest Runway Safety Report and other new statistics about which airports had the most near misses and other runway incidents between 2006 and 2010.

The magazine noted that DIA's strong crosswinds were blamed for a 2008 incident in which a Continental Airlines 737 plunged off a runway into a ravine and caught fire. Thirty-eight people were injured during the crash, several of them seriously.

In recent years, Travel & Leisure says, DIA has worked to strengthen safety by revising its runway and taxiway safety policies, as well as winter snow-management procedures. "But strong winds continue to delay flights and pose safety concerns," the magazine said.

Yet, DIA's safety score of 2.48 was dwarfed by Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, which was ranked the nation's No. 1 most dangerous airport with a 5.65 safety score and 75 runway incidents during the past five years, according to the magazine.

  • No. 2, Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport had a 5.38 safety score and 45 runway incidents.
  • No. 3, Los Angeles International Airport has a 4.41 safety score and 60 runway incidents.
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