Bird hits & wildlife hazards: DGCA issues lists of do’s & don’ts to airport operators

NEW DELHI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday issued a fresh set of directives for airport operators to tackle “potential wildlife hazards” like animals on runways and bird hits. The regulator has issued two ways — passive and active management — to control this issue that aggravates during monsoon when wildlife activities increase and “pose a serious threat to aerodrome operational safety. Most wildlife incidents occur at critical phase of flight resulting in structural damage to an aircraft.”
Titled, “management of potential wildlife hazards at licensed aerodromes”, the advisory circular says: “The activity of birds and animals in and around an aerodrome is a potential source of hazard to safe operation of aircraft… possibility of collision between an aircraft and birds/animals. Wildlife strikes pose a significant threat to flight safety and have caused a number of accidents and incidents in India.”