Hyderabad Sees Fewer Bird Hits At Airport, Says Civil Aviation Ministry

Hyderabad: Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad has reported a steep decline in bird strike incidents this year recording 16 cases in the first half of 2025. This is a marked decline from 48 incidents in 2023 and 43 in 2024, according to the civil aviation ministry.

RGIA saw 207 bird strike cases between 2020 and June 2025, which is fewer than many other major airports in India.

The RGIA, Kolkata, Bhubaneshwar and Trivandrum airports registered 16 bird cases each and Pune airport recorded 11, the ministry said. It stated that to ensure safety of aircraft operations related to wildlife hazard, airports had been mandated to develop wildlife hazard management plans and establish procedures under the civil aviation requirement.

“Bird hits mostly happen during take-off or landing when the aircraft is most vulnerable,” explained Mallikarjuna, a retired air traffic controller. “Compared to airports surrounded by dense city activity, RGIA is located outside the urban core, which means fewer garbage dumps or slaughterhouses in the vicinity, two major factors that typically attract birds,” he added.

He explained that bird strikes tend to happen more during early mornings and late evenings, especially the day after grass cutting, when insects are exposed. Monsoon season may also slightly increase bird activity.

He said ‘zone guns’ were used to make loud sounds at intervals. What works best are the bird-chasing firecrackers, used randomly by trained staff, he said.

An assistant flight instructor, who requested not to be named, told Deccan Chronicle: “Most bird strikes at RGIA involve pigeons, but we also occasionally see eagles and falcons. The risk becomes more serious when larger birds are involved, as they can damage aircraft engines or wings.”

Capt. Sai Krishna also noted that RGIA is surrounded by relatively low habitation but areas near the airport, such as Katedan and Jalpally, which house waste processing units, still posed a threat. “People often dump garbage in isolated spots and without constant monitoring these areas can become bird-attracting zones,” he added.

While the decline in bird strikes is a positive sign, experts said that caution is still necessary. “Sixteen bird strikes in six months might seem low, but for a busy airport, even a single incident can delay flights or ground an aircraft for hours. We’ve seen some improvement, but we’ll need to wait until the end of the year to understand the full trend,” he said.

“A single 5-kg bird can cause catastrophic engine failure during the most critical phases of flight. In such moments, pilots are trained to make split-second decisions, as seen in the ‘Miracle on the Hudson’ river landing of US Airways Flight 1549 by Captain Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger and Jeffrey Zaslow.” said Capt. Rohit V. Chivukula, Airbus A320 Rated Pilot, accountable manager at Blue Ray Aviation and aviation blogger. “It’s a combination of robust ground measures and cockpit readiness that keeps skies safe.”

Responding to the bird-hit cases, the GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL), which operates RGIA, explained the proactive measures it was taking for bird control.

According to GHIAL, high-frequency acoustic devices had been deployed near the runways to deter bird movement and trained staff use firecrackers at regular intervals to create sound deterrents during active runway hours. Grass near operational areas is cleared to remove nesting opportunities and continuous efforts are made to prevent food waste and litter accumulation around the airport premises.