Editorial»
Birds of prey
SEP 05 -
The approach to Runway 9 of the Princess Juliana International Airport in the northeast Caribbean island of Saint Martin is considered one of the most dangerous in the world. The breathtaking sight of hulking jets sweeping down over the waters of the Caribbean Sea on the approach to Runway 9, no more than 20 feet over the heads of adrenalin-fuelled tourists, has become a stuff of legend on YouTube. Thankfully, on most safety measures, our own Tribhuvan International Airport is a lot safer. The approach is far easier and there are no curious onlookers snapping away right at the edge of the runway. TIA is not without its own share of problems though.
On Thursday evening, a bloodied eagle managed to manoeuvre its way into the cockpit of Biman Bangladesh airliner as it was preparing to land at the TIA, not the first incident of its kind at the country's only international airport. Part of the reason the birds of prey tend to hover in the skies above TIA is gastronomic. The animal remains carelessly tossed about by the popular sekwa outlets that surround
the airport is a major attraction for carnivorous birds. Two years ago, a committee investigating the risks posed by stray birds to aircraft operating from TIA had recommended that the waste around the airport be better managed. Little progress has been made on that front.
Birds cause aircraft accidents around the world, many resulting in loss of life. Even when there is no human loss, often the damages to aircraft engine and fuselage by the birds that get entangled in them are extensive. In the US alone, accidents caused by birds (bird strikes in popular parlance) result in a loss of US $300 million each year; and bird strikes have been responsible for over 300 deaths in the history of US aviation. In countries like the US and Australia where stray birds pose huge risk to aircraft safety, sophisticated equipment, including sonar and laser gadgets, are used to keep them away from flying zones. But these equipment are often expensive and don't always work.
With bird strikes at the TIA expected to increase as migratory birds flock the capital in around a month's time, the most cost effective way to control their activity around the airport would undoubtedly be better management of waste in the vicinity.
(It is hard to see what can be done to prevent birds from
the nearby jungles of Gokarna from straying onto airline path once a while.) Many questions are being asked of Nepali aviation sector following the Agni Air crash at Makawanpur last week. There have been allegations of poor management of aircraft and private airlines cutting corners to increase their profits. If there is a serious accident because of stray birds at TIA, the aviation authorities are sure to face more flack for their laxity. A wandering eagle sucked into the cockpit of an international airliner might have made for an amusing tale for some; but they will do well to remember that had the same eagle got itself entangled in the aircraft's fuselage, it could as easily have turned into a tragedy.
Posted on: 2010-09-06 07:45
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