From two in 2018, bird-hit incidents mount to 25 at Chandigarh airport: MoS

Vijay Mohan

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Chandigarh, December 19

There has been a substantial rise in the number of bird-hits suffered by civilian aircraft at Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, Chandigarh, over the past six years, with the number spiking from two in 2018 to 25 till October 31 this year.

Three bird-hits were reported in 2019 and two in 2020 and the number shot up to 16 in 2021 and 15 in 2022, according to the data placed in the Rajya Sabha by the Ministry of Civil Aviation on December 18.

Potential hazard

Bird-hits are a potential hazard to flight safety and can cause not only serious damage to the airframe, but also result in an engine flame-out if ingested, leading to loss worth crores of rupees. In fact, a number of aircraft crashes have also been attributed to bird-hits

The data, giving out details of confirmed wildlife strikes reported at 112 airports across the country, indicates an increasing trend of bird-hits at most airports. In 2023, Delhi topped the list with 169 bird-hits, followed by Ahmedabad 81, Bengaluru 76 and Mumbai 67.

Bird-hits are a potential hazard to flight safety and can cause not only serious damage to the airframe, but also result in an engine flame-out if ingested, leading to loss worth crores of rupees. In fact, a number of aircraft crashes have also been attributed to bird-hits.

The Chandigarh airport is “civilian enclave” at a defence airbase, implying that while the terminal building and parking apron for civilian aircraft and passenger amenities come under the purview of the Airports Authority of India, the runway and other air traffic services are owned and controlled by the Air Force.

Over the years, the Chandigarh airbase has witnessed heavy construction along its periphery, including encroachments on the aircraft approach path, which has added to safety hazards. The Air Force authorities have repeatedly raised the issue of encroachments with the civilian administration.

Presenting the data at the upper house in response to a question raised by MP Dr Santanu Sen, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Gen VK Singh (retd) said the analysis of data of wildlife (bird/animal) strikes indicated that the maximum number of strikes to the airplanes occurred during landing and takeoff phases.