In one of the latest incidents, an Air India flight aborted its take-off at Goa’s Dabolim airport in August after smoke started emanating from the plane’s engine after a bird hit.
A senior DGCA official said airports have been asked to reassess their threat and mitigation measures for bird hits following the Jeju Air crash. “As cities become denser, habitation near airports is also increasing, thereby increasing leftovers of food or animal carcasses which attract big birds like vultures. All airports have been sensitised about the threat and to review their preparedness,” said the official.
‘Bird Strike‘ Testing
“Regulation prohibits dumping of garbage and slaughter of animals that may attract wildlife within 10 km of airport.”Aircraft engineers said all modern commercial airplane engines are required to pass a “bird strike” test before they can be certified for use. The engines are revved to full power inside a test facility and absorb various kinds of birds, with the size of sparrows to that of herons. Still, a bird hit could pose serious damage to the aircraft and become deadly.Creating awareness
While the Delhi airport, India’s busiest, reported 169 bird hits in 2023, Bengaluru has not seen any such incidents in the past three years. “The impact of these incidents was minimal and there were no major disruptions in operations at the airport,” a Delhi airport spokesperson said.
The airport is trying to tackle the issue scientifically. It has formed a wildlife hazard management team of 14 members, half of them biologists, besides employing the usual tactics of trimming grass and scaring away birds with scarecrows.
It also holds camps for communities staying in the approach path of the runways, sensitising them on garbage management and hygiene to reduce bird strike. Promotional materials such as bottles, bags, and caps with awareness messages are distributed in those camps, the spokesperson said.
A Bengaluru airport spokesperson attributed its record of no bird-hit incidents to “proactive measures implemented by our dedicated bird control team, who continuously monitor critical areas of the airport to deter bird activity”.
Mapping activities
In Mumbai, the airport maps wildlife and bird activities and their behaviour is assessed while within the premises. “Tolerable species are not targeted while the hazardous species are identified, and all mitigation measures are implemented to keep the aerodrome environment sterile from birds and wildlife in the best interest of aircraft and passenger safety,” an airport spokesperson said.
