Data from the Ministry of Civil Aviation shows that between January 2018 and October 2023, Delhi reported 710 confirmed strikes while Mumbai stood second with 352 incidents. Ahmedabad, with 319 confirmed strikes, was at the third position, the data shows.
The ministry said the maximum number of strikes to the airplanes occurs during the landing and take-off phases.
A “wildlife strike” is when an aircraft either suffered a bird hit or was disrupted by an animal on the runway during take-off or landing.
The ministry has said that a number of steps have been taken to prevent these incidents. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued regulations and guidelines for management of potential wildlife hazards at licensed airports.
Dumping of garbage and slaughter of animals that may attract wildlife within 10 km of Aerodrome Reference Point is banned. Also, since 2017, orders have been issued to aerodrome operators for implementing an effective wildlife control mechanism for their aerodrome to control wildlife strikes.
It is also mandated that aerodrome operators should evaluate wildlife hazard by competent personnel and action to be taken to decrease the risk to aircraft operations by adopting measures to minimise the likelihood of collisions between wildlife and aircraft.
In 2022, orders were issued to identify the gaps and ensure strict implementation of a plan for wildlife hazard management on and in the vicinity of the aerodrome.
In February, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had said that all measures have been taken to address the issue of bird hits at airport areas. He assured that the ministry has put in place all measures at airports, which includes bird dispeller and sound guns.
Comments
0 comment