National Bird Control Committee reviews action taken by DGCA

The National Bird Control Committee (NBCC), set up by the Ministry of Civil Aviation upon the recommendation of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) met under the Chairmanship of Shri M.M. Nambiar, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation yesterday to address the serious safety issues of bird strike resulting in aircraft accidents.
The meeting reviewed the action taken by the DGCA upon the directions issued by NBCC in its first meeting held on 3 June, 2009 which include:

• Directions to State Governments for active participation of Chief Secretary/Commissioner or Head of the District in the Airfield Environment Management Committee (AEMC) meeting of Airport alongwith local civic bodies/police.
• Resolving the problems of abattoir in Gazipur and Sadar Bazar area and modern abattoir has become functional at Gazipur while the one at Sadar Bazar has been closed.
• Concerned sections of the Aircraft Rules has been amended to allow for imposing of fine of Rs.100,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months or both for offence of leaving any animal, object or bird in the movement area of an aerodrome.
• Equipments and methods used at various airports both public and private for bird strike prevention being reviewed by the DGCA.
• Online system of bird strike reporting by airline operators has been made mandatory and put on the DGCA website - Pilots have been instructed to follow correct bird strike reporting procedure.
• To identify the critical airports, DGCA on the basis of Airline reports, has identified Ahmedabad Airport as a critical airport showing increasing number of bird strike and the AEMC has been directed to prepare an Action Plan for time bound control of bird activity and its implementation.

Another special AEMC is being called in Delhi, Mumbai and Nagpur airports this year to resolve the issue of bird strike and animal hazards.

• The scope of NBCC has been widened to include animals also.
• Guidelines have been issued to airport operators/airlines to carry out special drive before the monsoon season.
• The incidents of bird strikes have been increasing – in 2006, 167 bird strikes were reported, in 2007, 217 and in 2008, 304. This year till October, 2009, 241 bird strikes have been reported to the DGCA. In 2008, till October, there were 277 bird strike cases reported.
  

This year till October, 2009, Air India has reported 24 bird strikes, Jet Airways- 49, Kingfisher Airlines-60, Indigo-27, Spice Jet-30, Paramount-1, Go Airways-7, 34 by the International airlines and 6 by other kinds of aircrafts.

The financial loss suffered by airlines this year because of bird strike are Jet Airways-8.91 lakhs, Indigo-87 lakhs, Spice Jet-557 lakhs, Go Air-45.6 lakhs (figures from Air India and Kingfisher are not currently available).
19/11/09 PRESS RELEASE/Press Informaton Bureau

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Categories: Airports Nov 2009, Safety Nov 2009