‘Review plan to manage threat’: After two chook hits in a day, DGCA writes to airport operators

“We are all aware that during the monsoon season wildlife (birds and animals) activity increases in and around airports. The presence of wildlife in the airport vicinity poses a serious threat to aircraft operational safety,” DGCA famous in its letter written to Airports Authority of India and personal airport operators on Monday. The Indian Express has reviewed a replica of this letter.

On Sunday, an IndiGo A320neo plane took off from Guwahati on Sunday morning when its left engine received broken after struggling a chook hit when it was at an altitude of 1,600 toes. The pilots then declared an emergency and returned again to Guwahati. Further, a Delhi-bound SpiceJet-operated Boeing 737-800 airplane suffered a chook strike Sunday afternoon, resulting in considered one of its engines getting broken and pilots making an emergency touchdown again at Patna airport.

“All airports are requested to review their wildlife hazard management plan for any gap and ensure strict implementation of strategies for wildlife hazard management within and also outside the airfield,” it added.

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The DGCA has requested the airports to make sure that inside the airport premises, grass is trimmed and insecticide is sprayed, along with conducting frequent runway inspection for chook actions and deploying chook chasers and chook scaring units. The regulator additionally requested airports to make sure common rubbish disposal within the operational space and avoidance of water focus and open drains.

Further, it has requested airport operators to convene conferences of the Airport Environment Management Committee to debate and overview the implementation of the measures to cut back chook hazard outdoors the airport. “Frequent inspection by airport wildlife hazard management team/AEMC to be carried out for identification of sources of wildlife attraction such as garbage dump, open disposal of abattoir/butcheries waste, etc,” DGCA famous.