Ninoy Aquino International Airport: Anti-bird strike measures no longer working

Airport  authorities insisted that they have been implementing measures to prevent bird strikes at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport since 1993, but these schemes no longer work because the bird sanctuary at Manila Bay is too far from the airport.

“We have recorded minimal bird strikes on the ground due to presence of gadgets and equipment which are good in dispersing birds within 300 meters and below an altitude of 500 feet,” said Joseph Agustin, head of the Airport Ground Operations Safety  Division, at the Balitaan sa Aloha Hotel forum on Wednesday.

Agustin said the airport has an avian alarm that scares away shore birds, like terns and wild ducks, within a 200-meter bird circle. It has three frequency selectors of different distress calls that scare birds and irritate their ears.

They also used starting pistols and propane cannons which drive away domestic pigeons, egrets, pratincoles and munias within a range of 300m bird circle.

Airport authorities have also converted their habitat at the airport into apron areas and runway/taxiway extensions. “Just like in 1996 when we converted fish ponds into remote parking areas and RWY 24 extension,” he added.

But these equipment, Agustin admitted, is not effective for birds at the Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area because it is 2.5km from the runway and bird strikes usually occur at an altitude of 500ft, especially during the migration period.

Agustin said the Manila International Airport Authority is now in the process of purchasing a remote-controlled, extended-range audio bird dispersal equipment that can be integrated into a radar system.

“This state-of-the-art equipment has an effective audio dispersing range of 2km to 3km,” Agustin said, adding that the implementation of this project will be done in phases.

He said the MIAA is also helping to resolve the conflict between ordinances passed by the cities of Las Piñas and Parañaque and the Presidential Proclamation making the bird sanctuary at Manila Bay a wildlife reserve.

Source:  http://manilastandardtoday.com