Scare in Mumbai’s airport: Bird-hit incidents soar

Of around 302 bird hits reported in 2009 at 79 airports in the country, close to 54 occurred in Mumbai.

Responding to an RTI query by DNA, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the number of bird hits in the city had gone up from 26 in 2007 to 54.

However, the DGCA revealed that Delhi still recorded the maximum number of hits each year. For two years in a row, Delhi recorded 67 bird hits, steeply up against just 30 such cases in 2007.

According to regulations, slaughter houses and garbage disposal near airports are prohibited. 

Third on the list is Ahmedabad airport with 34 cases of bird hits in 2009. The number was 21 and 26 in 2008 and 2007 respectively. Other prominent airports that reported high number of bird-hit incidents in 2009 were Chennai (18), Bangalore (15), Jaipur (15) and Kolkata (12).

Mangalore, where more than 150 people were killed in a plane crash, reported only three cases of bird hits.

As per DGCA’s reply, no bird-hit incidents have been recorded at Agra, Kulu and Udaipur airports in the past three years.