An Etihad Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner entered an active runway at Boston Logan International Airport on October 15, forcing a Delta Connection flight to abort its landing. The incident involved Etihad flight EY7, arriving from Abu Dhabi, and Delta Connection flight DL5739, a Republic Airways Embraer E175 flying in from New York’s LaGuardia Airport. The Dreamliner, registered A6-BNJ, touched down at 2:55 pm, 15 minutes behind schedule, before beginning its taxi toward the gate via taxiways R and N. Air traffic control directed the crew to stop before reaching runway 4L, and the pilots confirmed they understood.
Instead of stopping, the Etihad aircraft proceeded onto the runway. Controllers then ordered the Delta flight to execute a go-around. The regional jet, which had been approaching for landing, abandoned its descent and circled before making a second attempt, eventually landing at 3:09 pm. The Etihad crew later departed for Abu Dhabi on their return flight, EY8, at 5:28 pm, about an hour after the originally scheduled 4:35 pm departure.
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Runway incursions happen when an aircraft, vehicle, or person enters a runway’s protected area while another plane is operating. In this case, the Etihad pilots ignored the hold-short instruction, creating a situation that required immediate controller action. The exact reason, whether a miscommunication, procedural mistake, or another issue, has not yet been determined.
Air traffic control followed standard procedures: the Delta flight was redirected to prevent a collision, and the Etihad crew was later told to contact controllers about a possible pilot deviation. Both aircraft continued operations without further issues, though DL5739’s landing was delayed by 14 minutes.