A series of close calls on some of our nation's busiest runways has rightly raised concerns over the safety of air travelers, particularly with the busy holiday travel period ahead.

These near-misses come just as a Government Accountability Office report issued last week criticized the Federal Aviation Administration, citing a high number of runway incursions that create "a high risk of catastrophic runway collision." The report pointed to a spike in the number of runway incursions this fiscal year, with 370 episodes. That's due to a lack of leadership, overworked air traffic controllers and poor technology. Not good, folks.

Then on Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., called on the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Transportation to investigate.

Durbin is right. That investigation must also include smaller airports, which have seen tremendous growth in private jet traffic and commuter flights.

For its part, the FAA said that while the number of incursions increased, the number of "serious" incursions dropped by 25 percent.

That's no cause for comfort. Skilled pilots managed to avert runway collisions in Baltimore, New York and Newark in the last two weeks alone. Any incursion — serious or minor — is cause for concern.

It's time for the FAA to step up. The agency's Office of Runway Safety has failed to come up with a national plan since 2002, endured a 45 percent staff cut during the last four years and has gone for two years without a permanent director, according to the GAO report.

That's unacceptable. It's time for a change. With 47.2 million travelers expected to take to the skies this holiday season alone, we cannot afford to wait any longer.

Congress should back Durbin's plan and press investigators for a thorough report immediately.

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