Birds threaten to ground Tribhuvan International Airport

KATHMANDU: Birds affected movement of yet another aircraft today at Tribhuvan International Airport, in a sign that these flying vertebrates are becoming a menace to Nepal’s civil aviation industry.

A Turkish Airlines plane, which was supposed to land at TIA at around eight in the morning today, was diverted to the Indian capital New Delhi after a flock of birds was sighted around the runway area. “We were informed about this morning’s bird incident and we were told those birds were crows,” a high-ranking TIA official told THT on condition of anonymity. The aircraft later landed at TIA at 11:53 am.

Today’s problem occurred due to damp climatic condition, which creates a breeding ground for flying ants to germinate, another high-ranking TIA official said. These ants, according to the official, have a life of around one to one and a half hours and attract birds

in droves. “Because of this reason, coupled with the weather condition, which led to cancellation of few domestic flights, the aircraft had to be diverted,” the official said. Today’s incident occurred less than a week after Malaysia Airlines carrying 180 passengers hit some ‘unidentified migratory birds’ after landing at TIA. At least two birds were killed in the incident on Friday.

It is also said Qatar Airways had to delay its flight for some time on Monday after reaching the runway’s take-off point because of the presence of a flock of birds. Birds around the runway area can be lethal, as they can collide with aircraft and cause damage to aircraft’s windshields and even engines.

TIA has witnessed more than six dozen bird strikes since the early 1990s, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. The first victim of the bird strike was Thai Airways Airbus A330.

At that time the aircraft encountered vultures while taking off. The second major incident took place in 2010 when the DC-10 aircraft of Biman Bangladesh faced similar situation. And in 2012, one of the reasons for Sita Air crash was said to be bird strike.

Source:   http://www.thehimalayantimes.com