Chennai: Data compiled by Airports Authority of India (AAI) shows that bird-hits have risen from 38 in 2012 to 50 in 2013. The number of bird-hits reported inside the airport campus has gone up from one in 2012 to 12 last year. Most of the birds that crashed into planes during landing and take-off were kites.
Airlines say precautionary measures to curtail the presence of birds are not in place at Chennai airport. Growth of vegetation, garbage being dumped outside the airfield, lack of bird-proof buildings and an open gutter carrying waste water that flows through the airport to the nearby Adyar river are some of the reasons for the increase in birds in the vicinity of the airport.
A senior AAI official said a circular from Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) banned the use of guns and fireworks in the airfield to scare away birds. This is the main reason for the increased bird activity around the airport. "An apron safety committee that reviews the issue every month is taking adequate measures to control the situation," he said.
Sources said the apron safety committee is inactive as is the Aerodrome Environment Management Committee (AEMC). The committee is supposed to meet regularly to ensure that the airport surroundings are neat and clean.
12/02/14 Arun Janardhanan/Times of India
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Airlines say precautionary measures to curtail the presence of birds are not in place at Chennai airport. Growth of vegetation, garbage being dumped outside the airfield, lack of bird-proof buildings and an open gutter carrying waste water that flows through the airport to the nearby Adyar river are some of the reasons for the increase in birds in the vicinity of the airport.
A senior AAI official said a circular from Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) banned the use of guns and fireworks in the airfield to scare away birds. This is the main reason for the increased bird activity around the airport. "An apron safety committee that reviews the issue every month is taking adequate measures to control the situation," he said.
Sources said the apron safety committee is inactive as is the Aerodrome Environment Management Committee (AEMC). The committee is supposed to meet regularly to ensure that the airport surroundings are neat and clean.
12/02/14 Arun Janardhanan/Times of India
