Buffalo on runway triggers DGCA alarm on 18 airports

NEW DELHI: A SpiceJet aircraft taxiing to take off hitting a buffalo on Surat runway has exposed the harsh reality of Indian airports: they are virtually grazing ground for cattle and their dirty surroundings chick magnets for birds. Directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) data shows that the combined "wildlife strikes" — birds and animals hitting aircraft on roll at airports — has been steadily rising over the years, putting air travellers at great risk.

The DGCA has now compiled a list of 18 airports where "wildlife hazard" is the worst, which includes all the six metros. Among these 18, five have been found to be the worst affected: Udaipur, Cochin, Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar and Nagpur.

The DGCA has formed teams to inspect these 18 airports by December 20. Safety pilots from airlines will accompany the regulatory team on these checks. The five affected worst airports will be inspected by DGCA's head of safety, Lalit Gupta.

The preliminary probe into Surat's buffalo-hits-aircraft has given the jitters to aviation authorities and puts a question mark on the thousands of crores being pumped into modernization of airports and in installing complex security systems. The fact is that India's state-of-the-art aviation showcases remain afflicted by the most basic problems on ground.

"Even if boundary walls are built, they can't remain unbreached for long. There are villages abutting airports at many cities. Villagers break the walls so that their cattle can graze in the vast greens abutting the runway-taxiway areas. So building a wall is not enough, there has to be constant monitoring by local police to ensure that no one breaches them," said a person closely involved with the Surat probe.

Some airports like Surat have got fishing ponds right abutting their periphery. Apart from dirty surroundings, these ponds attract birds which pose a big risk to approaching and taking off aircraft. Ahmedabad, in particular, is a nightmare for bird hits.

The DGCA had written a letter to chief secretaries of all states earlier this year, saying "wildlife/bird strike to aircraft is considered a serious safety issue... (these) invariably result in expensive repairs to aircraft/engines, losses to airlines, cancellations/delays of flight which cause inconvenience to the travelling public."

The Aircraft Act, 1934, specifically prohibits any slaughtering or flaying of animals or dumping garbage in a way which could attract animals and birds within a 10-km radius of airports. Yet a visit around any big city airport would show how this rule is flouted with impunity. "Such activity is a cognizable offence under section 10(1B) of the Aircraft Act, 1934... airfield environment management committees at airports (which are headed by chief secretaries) should take proactive measures on time-bound basis to ensure that no illegal slaughter houses, garbage dumps exist in the vicinity of airports. (these) are source of increased bird activity and may lead to wildlife strikes to aircraft during approach/take off," the DGCA letter says. But this advice seems to have fallen on deaf ears in most states.