Delhi High Court Reviews Plea to Curb Bird Strikes at IGI Airport

Rapid Summary

• The Delhi high Court issued notices to multiple authorities,including the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and delhi government,regarding concerns over rising bird strikes at IGI Airport.
• From 2018 to October 2023, IGI Airport reported 705 incidents of bird strikes – more than combined totals at several airports across six Indian states (654 incidents) and also exceeding combined totals at Mumbai and Bengaluru airports (623 incidents).
• Bird strike incidents at IGI sharply increased in recent years, with 183 reported in 2022 compared to 94 in 2021 and 62 in 2020.
• The petition claims slaughter houses, meat shops, dairy farms, and pollution around the airport are major contributors to attracting birds near the aerodrome.
• Statutes like the Aircraft Rules (1937) prohibit activities that attract birds/animals within a radius of 10 km from an airport; violations constitute cognizable offenses.
• Over 500 illegal establishments related to animal slaughter reportedly operate within a restricted zone near IGI Airport.
• The plea urged immediate implementation of measures like Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard (BASH) prevention systems or Bird Avoidance Models (BAM), citing safety risks for passengers and adjacent residential areas due to potential aircraft accidents.
• The court scheduled further hearing on May 14 while issuing notices to other entities such as Food Safety Authority, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, pollution Control Committee.

Indian Opinion Analysis

Bird strike incidents represent a critical aviation safety concern for India’s busiest airport. With numbers escalating over recent years at Indira Gandhi International airport far exceeding those reported elsewhere nationally – even larger metropolitan hubs like Mumbai and Bengaluru – this petition highlights systemic environmental governance gaps. Illegal animal-related operations near aerodromes seem misaligned with established statutes designed explicitly for aviation safety.

The issue has broader implications not just for traveler security but urban planning around high-density cities where infrastructure frequently enough faces competing demands from industry regulations versus human activity. Prompt inspection frameworks suggested by the petitioner could curb violations effectively if implemented alongside technology-driven prevention models like BAM or BASH systems cited globally as prosperous deterrence tools under similar challenges worldwide context perhaps better emphasizing India’s Future Action-direction!

Read More