Apple Maps Users Accidentally Follow Directions Over Airport Runway

Apple Maps Users Accidentally Follow Directions Over Airport Runway

The spectre of Apple's much-mocked maps service has raised its head again, almost a year to the day since its launch.

An Alaskan airport has been forced to close an access route after two motorists accidentally drove into the airport, along the taxiway and in one case over the runway used by 747 aircraft, having followed Apple's directions a bit too literally.

According to a spokesperson at Fairbanks International Airport, the app directs users to drive along the taxiway instead of the car park.

While the maps do not specifically tell users to drive over the runway, it appears as though drivers have become confused after accidentally entering the airport.

"These folks drove past several signs. They even drove past a gate. None of that cued them that they did something inappropriate," said Melissa Osborn, chief of operations at the Fairbanks airport, to a local newspaper.

The facility has now erected barriers over the route, and is asking Apple to disable the route until it can be fixed. It said that it first complained on 6 September, but that the problem remains in place.

Apple has not released a statement on the matter, and the BBC said that it was "unable to provide comment".

After Apple's maps service was first launched in September 2012, a host of problems followed in which the company was criticised for providing inaccurate data and poor 3D graphics, compared to the Google Maps app which was used previously in iOS.

Apple CEO Tim Cook was eventually forced to apologise in a public letter on the company website.

"Everything we do at Apple is aimed at making our products the best in the world. We know that you expect that from us, and we will keep working non-stop until Maps lives up to the same incredibly high standard," Cook said, 12 months ago.

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