AIRLINERS want authorities to stop migratory birds from nesting close to airports to lower the incidence of “bird strikes” and ensure the safety of passengers.
Capt. Felipe Timola Jr., safety director of Cebu Pacific, said airline companies are worried by the increasing number of bird strikes from 14 in 2008 to 54 as of October.
Nineteen such incidents happened last month, seven of which caused major damage to CEB airplanes, Timola said. “We are very committed to providing safe air travel to our guests, and would like to highlight the importance of preventing more bird strike incidents in the future,” he said.
Airports in Manila, Iloilo and Puerto Princesa have the most number of bird strikes this year, according to him.
Bird strikes that impacted on CEB’s domestic network were also recorded near the airports of Bacolod, Cebu, Clark, Kalibo and Ozamiz.
Candice Iyog, CEB vice president for communications, said a bird strike could cause flight delays and cancellations when an aircraft has to undergo safety checks before being allowed to fly again.
Aviation experts said birds in flight could hit an airplane’s propellers, wings, tail or windshield. But such bird strikes are not really dangerous.
More dangerous is when large birds or a number of smaller birds get sucked into the aircraft’s engines, Alfonso Cusi, general manager of Manila International Airport Authority, said.
“To shoo away migratory birds, MIAA personnel use pyrotechnics, pre-recorded cries of predatory birds and physical barriers to keep migrating fowl from flocking into the airport compound.
“Such measures have been in place at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport for decades,” he said. “Birds have been a perennial problem of airport operators worldwide and the Naia is no exception,” Cusi said.
Migratory birds flock to the Philippines to escape the harsh winter in China, Japan and Russia, as well as other European countries, he said. Vito Barcelo
