DGCA issues guidelines to prevent bird-hits

New Delhi, August 13

In view of recent incidents of collision of planes with birds and other animals at airports, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked aerodrome operators to submit by the first week of every month an action-taken report on the implementation of the wildlife hazard management programme.

A number of incidents of birds hitting planes has been reported recently; two took place earlier this month. The “Aerodrome Advisory Circular”, issued on Friday at the instance of DGCA chief Arun Kumar, recommended a series of steps to be taken with regard to wildlife hazard management at airports. The circular said aerodrome operators were required to deploy a wide range of methods to minimise collision between wildlife and aircraft, which includes carrying out routine patrols in random patterns, informing pilots whenever there is any wildlife activity and holding regular surveillance to spot hazardous wildlife. — TNS

Recent incidents

• On August 3, an Ahmedabad-Chandigarh Go First flight returned to Ahmedabad after it hit a bird and one of its engines was damaged
• Two days later, a frontal collision with a bird damaged the radome of a Vistara Varanasi-Delhi flight and forced it to return to Varanasi

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