Financial loss to airlines due to bird hits comes down

"Bird hit incidents are of considerable concern for the aviation industry, and various steps have been taken to keep the number of incidents low. Due to such measures, the loss to airlines has come down to Rs 18 crore in 2011 from Rs 22 crore the previous year," Sukul said while addressing an international seminar on "Wildlife Management at Airports", organised by Aeronautical Society of India here.

Global experts have gathered at the seminar to discuss ways to handle the hazard and also the incidents of runway incursions by stray animals.

Aircraft collisions with wildlife annually cost the aviation industry millions of dollars in direct damage and associated costs in terms of aircraft down-time.

He said the aviation regulator has conducted studies at six metro airports and would be extending it to some more important ones and later would cover all the Indian airports.

Earlier, addressing the conference, Civil Aviation Secretary S Nasim Zaidi said the number of bird-hit incidents could be brought down by adopting four major strategies.

"These include, modification in movement in aircraft, habitat management of the birds and wildlife near the airport by identifying wildlife attractants and their removal, wildlife dispersal and wildlife disposal," Zaidi said.

He stressed that airport operators should develop wildlife hazard management plan with minute details of bird strike data, as most of the strike happens near the airport.

The Secretary also said that with adopting various techniques, the number of bird hit cases have gone down.

Top experts from DGCA, US Federal Aviation Administration, EU-India Civil Aviation Cooperation Project, aircraft maker Airbus, Indian Air Force, Athens Airport and Airports Authority of India participated in a day-long international conference.

"Bird-hits are not the only problem. Wild animals wander into runways and create serious problems for departing and landing aircraft," said Debashish Saha, Joint Secretary of Aeronautical Society of India (ASI).