Birds pose threat to flights at Vizag airport

Visakhapatnam: The Visakhapatnam International Airport, located in the core of the city, often faces a threat from bird strikes.

To overcome the menace, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation, INS Dega, Visakhapatnam Port Authority, National Highways Authority of India and the Irrigation department are working in coordination with one another to bring in an action plan. The Visakhapatnam Airport is under the control of INS Dega where both military and commercial aircraft are operated. It is a civil enclave with the naval air base and a part of the Eastern Naval Command as per the slots allotted.

Along with the bird strikes, another threat plagues the airport, ie, Laser rays. During the flight movements over the RK Beach, the laser rays are causing a disturbance for the pilots. It was brought to the notice of District Collector A Mallikarjuna during the Airfield Environment Committee meeting by INS Dega Captain P Rajkumar.

Also, the Collector instructed the authorities concerned to consider measures to arrest the inundation problem in the airport area, especially during the monsoon season.

The airport is located close to the Naval Armament Depot (NAD) junction and is surrounded by residential areas along with water bodies and reservoirs. In addition, stagnation of rainwater during the rainy season, dumping of waste along the highway leading to the airport attracting birds. Following which, birds, dogs and other animals continue to roam around. Even after several years, the bird strikes’ threat continues to plague the airport.

Earlier, some of the flight services were suspended due to the bird hit in Visakhapatnam. Statistics reveal that 1,430 bird hit cases were recorded across India in 2021. In 2023, the count increased to 2,174.In Visakhapatnam, the airport is surrounded by the national highway and port road. Some of the stretches are being used to dump offal by those who run slaughterhouses. This is another reason for an increase in the avian population in the airport area.

The authorities concerned are considering various measures to control bird presence in the region. They include vacating slaughterhouses in the vicinity, preventing dumping of waste in the surrounding region, clearing waste dumped in the area at frequent intervals and ensuring that the area is free of rainwater stagnation.

With birds giving challenging time for the pilots, the authorities concerned are focusing more on keeping the region bird-free so that the lives of the passengers and the crew will be safe and the flight lands and takes off without experiencing any technical glitch.

In line with this, District Collector A Mallikarjuna directed the airport authority and GVMC officials to make sure the meat centres have been removed in and around the airport, maintain the premises clean and consider measures to halt reservoir water from entering the airport area.