Bird Strike Committee Proceedings

 

Date of this Version

August 2001

Abstract

Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), the only international airport in the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal, is geographically situated in the middle of the country at an elevation of 4,390 feet (AMSL) in a valley surrounded by hills. The airport was in an isolated area at the time of its establishment in 1949, but now is in the middle of dense human settlement and local market places. The polluted rivers on either side of runway, un-scientific municipal solid waste management, and emergence of earthworms near the runway and taxiways after monsoon rains in late summer are some of the bird attractants. Birds of prey such as kites, eagles, vultures, and falcons are major bird types hazardous to aircraft operations at TIA. There were 6 separate bird strike incidents to civil aircraft during August-October 2000. In one of these incidents, an engine of a B-757 aircraft was heavily damaged. The Airport authority took several immediate measures to prevent bird strikes, including minimizing garbage dumping near airport and shooting birds that would not disperse. Short, medium and long-term plans have been developed to solve the problem systematically. In order to address the bird strike problem, a national level Bird Strike Control Committee and individual airportlevel Bird Strike Committees have been formed following the incidents in 2000. The Royal Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (RONAST) presently is carrying out research on bird activities in and around the airport. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal is committed to reducing bird and other wildlife hazards at all airports in Nepal by developing integrated management programs.

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