23 in 7 mths, bird-hits soar in city airport

Coimbatore: Bird-hit incidents continue to be a cause for concern for the city airport authorities, with their efforts to curb the same yielding little results.
At least 23 bird-hit incidents were reported from April 1 to October 31 this year, against 28 in the previous fiscal.
S Senthil Valavanm, airport manager, had at a recent consultative meeting sought the cooperation of all sections of society to bring the bird menace down by keeping the environment clean. He said the number of bird-hit incidents at the airport was one of the highest in the country.
“There are occasions when pilots refuse to take off because of the presence of birds. Bird-hit is a serious menace. It threatens the safety of passengers as well as the aircraft. At times, we see hundreds of eagles flying closely. Compared to other birds, eagles can be more dangerous,” he said.
If a bird gets stuck in the engine, he said, it could cause irreparable damage and heavy loss. tnn