The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of Pakistan has declared Lahore and Karachi airports dangerous for flights after frequent incidents of birds hitting planes in these two cities.
The incidents of birds hitting planes near airports put the lives of passengers in danger and cause a severe damage to planes.
After the CAA declared Lahore and Karachi airports dangerous for flights, this issue was taken up in the parliament and need for precautionary measures was stressed.
According to CAA spokesperson Abdul Sattar Khokhar, the local administrations in these two cities have been informed multiple times of the issue, but they have not made proper arrangements for disposal of waste thrown by poultry and fish sellers as well as food disposed of by people living around airports. Flocks of birds can be seen flying around the Lahore airport. In this regard, the Lahore airport administration has informed the district administration about the marriage halls operating near the airport, but no action has been taken against them.
According to the CAA spokesperson, gunshots are fired, firecrackers are used and sometimes trumpets are played to scare birds away in areas around airports. In Cantonment areas, the Cantonment Board takes effective steps to dispose of animal waste on Eid-ul-Azha.
The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) says that 12 incidents of birds hitting planes took place from January to June this year, while 10 incidents have been reported in first 19 days of July. Eighteen PIA planes were affected badly in one year after birds hit them. This made the PIA suffer financially besides disturbing the flight schedule. The CAA has not installed modern equipment at any airport of the country to scare away the birds. However, the CAA spokesperson says the authority is working on a project to install latest swing machines at airports to scare away the birds in areas around airports.