Etihad 787 Enters Runway At Boston Without Clearance, Causes Go Around

The pilots of an Etihad Boeing 787 seemingly didn’t process the instructions they read back to air traffic control, and that caused a go around for another aircraft. Kudos to the air traffic controller, and you’ve also gotta love the golden retriever-esque Republic Airways pilot…

Etihad Boeing 787 taxies onto runway without permission

YouTube channel You can see ATC has the air traffic control audio and a visualization of an event that happened at Boston Logan Airport (BOS) on Thursday, October 15, 2026. Etihad flight EY7 was operated by a Boeing 787-9, and had just landed from Abu Dhabi (AUH). The pilots were instructed to taxi via R and N, and to hold short of runway 4L. Those instructions were correctly read back.

However, when the plane actually approached runway 22R/4L (which was the runway being used for landings), it just continued across it, rather than stopping. The air traffic controller immediately caught this, and told the Etihad pilots to stop, while he told the Republic Airways (“Brickyard”) plane to go around.

This didn’t at all escalate, and the Etihad pilots were given instructions to continue their taxi after that. It was only when the plane approached the ramp that the ground controller gave the Etihad pilots a number to call for a possible pilot deviation.

The pilot reactions here are sort of funny

Kudos to the air traffic controller for catching this situation, and taking swift action. Now, I’m not sure why the air traffic controller told the Etihad plane to stop and hold position while on a runway they weren’t supposed to be on, but that’s besides the point (presumably he just saw something wrong, and the instinct was to say “stop”).

Two things stand out to me here. First of all, this Brickyard pilot really likes talking on the radio, doesn’t he? He just probably hasn’t been doing this long enough to be jaded.

Second of all, I’m curious what exactly the Etihad pilots were thinking. I know it had been a long trip for them, but you have four pilots in the cockpit, and no one realized they were taxiing onto an active runway? My only theory is that they were over on the 22R side of the runway (rather than the 4L side), and somehow they didn’t connect the dots that this was the runway they weren’t cleared to cross. That still doesn’t make sense, but then again, what does?

Credit to the air traffic controllers for not making a huge deal of this, and prioritizing essential communication, and then giving the pilots a number to call for a possible pilot deviation. Could you imagine the fit that dude at JFK would’ve had if someone did this? It would’ve been a five minute lecture, with a healthy dose of taunting.

I can’t tell for sure if the Etihad pilots immediately realized their mistake (because the guy working the radio seemed to be on his best behavior going forward), or if they were truly unaware of what happened.

Bottom line

An Etihad Boeing 787 entered a runway it was instructed to hold short of at Boston Logan Airport. There’s no real good explanation for this, because the pilots read back instructions correctly. Well done to the air traffic controller for catching this.

There was likely no imminent danger here (the regional jet hadn’t yet landed, and unless it was going to overrun the runway, odds are it wouldn’t have even made it as far down the runway as where the 787 was crossing). But still, a heavy jet entering a runway without permission is pretty bad…

What do you make of this Etihad Boeing 787 runway incursion in Boston?