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Pune airport ups cleanliness drive to prevent bird-hit incidents
We are holding meetings with the IAF and ensuring that no garbage is dumped on open land and check any open drains near the airport, said Santosh Dhoke, Pune airport director
The Pune airport authorities are working with the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to clean airport premises and neighbourhood to prevent bird -hit incidents.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued an advisory on June 20 to airports on avoiding bird-strike incidents in the monsoon. The direction came after two such incidents on June 19 in different parts of the country — SpiceJet Boeing 737 Patna-Delhi flight and IndiGo A320 NEO Guwahati-Delhi flight.
The advisory was issued to all 137 airports, including those run by the defence.
At Pune airport, runway maintenance work, operation area along with air traffic control (ATC) comes under the IAF.
“We are holding meetings with the IAF and ensuring that no garbage is dumped on open land and check any open drains near the airport,” said Santosh Dhoke, Pune airport director.
“In the operation area, there should not be anything which attracts birds. Grass trimming in apron area is done by the airport authority and operation area by the IAF. The IAF holds meetings with PMC as the latter looks after maintenance and cleanliness of area outside the airport. Steps have been taken to check any slaughterhouse in nearby areas as it attracts birds,” Dhoke said.
The aircraft act 1934 prohibits explicitly any slaughtering or flaying of animals or dumping of garbage in a way which could attract animals and birds within a 10km radius of the airport. Such activities are a cognizable offence under section10 (1B) of the aircraft act 1934.
The DGCA advisory talks about frequent runway inspection, grass trimming, spraying insecticides, deployment of bird chasers or bird scaring devices, regular garbage disposal and avoiding water accumulation in open drains.
