Bird hits: Airline operators to petition AAI

Kolkata: Concerned by the repeated incidents of birds being hit by aircraft during the last week at NSC Bose Airport, the members of the Airline Operators Committee (AOC) here met yesterday.
They decided to send a formal request to Airport Authority of India (AAI) officials to take steps to minimise such incidents. Every bird hit causes a loss of between Rs 1.5 to 2 lakh to the airline concerned. This includes the cost to repair the damaged aircraft, the fuel burnt for the return journey, transportation of passengers to hotels and their conveyance charges.
A spokesman of AOC said apart from the loss for the airline concerned, every bird death causes considerable harassment to passengers also. It can also lead to dangerous situation.
According to officials of airlines, these incidents usually occur during monsoon and during the advent of autumn. It is somewhat unusual at this time of the year. However it was known the earth was being dug towards the northern end of runway 19 L for runway extension. Insects might have come out because of the digging and birds might have been attracted to catch them.
21/05/08 The Statesman

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Categories: Airports May 2008, Safety May 2008