The Chennai airport plans to appoint a consultant to tackle the problem of bird hits which is posing a hazard for flight operationswith over 10 such incidents reported last year.

The airport has ‘conventional’ bird hazard control measures such as bird ‘scarers’ on either sides of the active runway who use fire crackers to chase the birds away.

However, this is ineffective in the long run, and new technology should be deployed, and that’s the plan nowAmong the bird population, kites are dominant and they interfere with the aircraft path; owls pose a problem during the night. Crows and pigeons do not interfere with the flight path, an official said.

Source of problem

The consultant will identify the source of attractionfor birds and animals both within and outside the airport.

It will study bird and animal presence up to 10 km radius of the aerodrome over a one-year period covering habitual, migratory and nocturnal birds.

A survey of birds and animals frequenting the airport will also be carried out, according to an airport official. The Chennai airport handles about 330 scheduled flight movements daily and caters to about 36,000 passengers.

The total area of the airfield is 1,309 acres; it has two runways, and 85 aircraft parking stands linked with 18 taxiways. There are 27 airlines operating fromboth the international as well as domestic terminals.

According to research agency Deloitte, airports should also engage in bird management to reduce bird strikes on takeoff and landing. Fight paths should avoid migratory routes, wildlife reserves, and other sites where birds may congregate, it says.

At the Chennai airport, the consultant will also look at installing sound wave technology to scare birds, and use non-lethal electronically operated disabling devices that incapacitates the nervous system of animals temporarily.

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