Airport Bird Hazard Risk Assessment Process

Authors

Richard Sowden, Avian Aviation Consultants
Terry Kelly, SMS Aviation Safety Inc.
Stewart Dudley, Stiff Sentences Inc.

Date of this Version

September 2007

Document Type

Article

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of Transport Canada’s airport bird hazard risk assessment process (ABRAP), which will be published in 2007.1 ABRAP examines and categorizes the relationship between airport-area land uses and bird species to predict risks to aircraft in various phases of flight. The result is the creation of customized bird hazard zones that accommodate the unique features and challenges at each airport, and that differ dramatically from the circular zoning patterns traditionally drawn from an airport’s geographic centre.

The paper briefly describes ABRAP, lists the diverse ways in which it can be applied, and illustrates how the process can be integrated with an airport’s risk-based wildlife management program and broader safety management system (SMS).