Seven incidents concerning Bristol Airport's runway were reported this winter before it finally shut after an airline boycott, the BBC has learned.
Ten airlines had cancelled or diverted flights after some pilots said aircraft had skidded on landing in wet weather.
Three of the episodes, between November and January, are being examined by the Air Accidents Investigation Board.
Airport manager Paul Davies said he was not told that pilots had had concerns before last month's boycott.
"If there was a serious incident that the airlines would have been concerned about, they would have contacted us directly," he said.
We were convinced and still are that the runway was safe
Paul Davies, airport manager
"We had no contact from the airlines prior to 5 January. Two of the incidents, we reported ourselves, those were the two incidents where the aircraft did suffer minor difficulties.
"We were convinced and still are that the runway was safe."
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has always maintained that the runway was safe, but grooves were cut into the surface to improve grip.
Captain David Chapman from the CAA said: "The responsibility is for the commander of the aircraft to report any unsafe events to his operator.
"The management of that airline should take those reports and decide on mitigating features to minimise impact of those potentially adverse safety conditions.
"We take those reports and analyse them and try to determine trends and put in future long-term mitigation and, if necessary, regulatory requirements to maintain the levels of safety we have in the UK."
Source: BBC
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