Limited flights but bird, animal strike incidents rose significantly at Indian airports in 2021

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According to government officials, one of the major factors behind the increase in the number of bird and animal strike incidents in India during 2021 could be that the airports were quieter than usual due to limited number of flights amid the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Quieter airports attract more birds and animals, they noted. The second COVID-19 wave had hit India hard in April-June period of 2021. The number of monthly domestic passengers dropped to just 21.15 lakh in May 2021 and only around 10 per cent of international flights were operating in India during April-June 2021 period, the officials stated.

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According to the data of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), in 2020, there were 1,152 bird strike and 15 animal strike incidents at the Indian airports. In 2019, there were 1,227 bird strike and 13 animal strike incidents, and in 2018, there were 1,214 bird strike and 19 animal strike incidents at the Indian airports, the data stated.

The DGCA, in a 2018 circular, had said that the presence of wildlife on and in vicinity of an airport poses a ”serious threat” to aircraft operational safety. When .

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