Mumbai and Delhi airports report maximum number of bird hits

New Delhi, Nov 20 (UNI) The international airports at Delhi and Mumbai reported the maximum number of bird hit incidents during the last two years with figures of 61 and 60 respectively out of a total of 350 cases even as the government asserted that bird hit incidents had been showing a declining trend.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, however, said the Mumbai airport had logged the maximum bird hits with 86 such incidents if figures of the last three years were to be combined.

Among the other airports reporting bird hit cases during the last two years were Hyderabad (35), Ahmedabad (30), Bangalore (26), Chennai (25), Kolkata (17), Jaipur (19) and Goa (10).

Two incidents of bird hit involving Jet aircraft were reported from Nagpur and Jaipur in October this year.

Mr Patel said the government did not maintain record of losses suffered by airlines due to bird hit accidents.

About the preventive measures, the minister said Airfield Environment Management Committees had been constituted at those airports where scheduled flights operate to identify the sources of bird attraction and take remedial measures.

Also, steps had been taken to reduce bird hits inside and outside the airports, such as proper disposal of garbage, prevention of water logging, coverage of garbage bins, establishment of modern abattoirs and scaring and shooting of birds.

In Mumbai, he said regular joint inspection of the areas around the airport and deployment of Watch and Ward staff during the aircraft operations were also done.

UNI