It has emerged that recent flight disruptions on domestic routes was caused by a major factor known as bird strike.

Bird strikes have been a bane to flight operations over the years and despite efforts to keep the birds away, they have constituted a big menace in flight operations in Nigeria. Airlines put the cost of replacing lost engines damaged by bid strike to about N3 billion annually.

Bird strike is when a bird hits an aircraft that is airborne, and it happens often when the aircraft is taking off or landing and more often than not, the birds usually enter the engines of the aircraft. During flight, the engines suck in air and when birds come around the engine, they are also sucked in.

Last week Air Peace announced that it grounded three aircraft in less than 48 hours due to bird strike and the grounding of the three aircraft significantly disrupted its operations; that many passengers experienced flight delays and cancellations.

The airline also said that in 2024, it recorded about 43 bird strikes and the airline is a major victim of bird strike because it has more aircraft in the air, being the operator with the largest number of aircraft fleet in Nigeria.

Head of Corporate Communications Air Peace Limited, Ejike Ndiulo, said: ?Earlier today (Thursday last week), two of our aircraft also suffered bird strike incidents, resulting in the grounding of the affected aircraft for safety checks and necessary maintenance.

?As a safety-conscious airline, Air Peace prioritizes the well-being of our passengers and crew above all else. In line with our strict safety protocols, we have immediately commenced the requisite inspections and maintenance procedures to ensure that the aircraft meet the highest safety standards before returning to service.?

The Chairman and CEO of Air Peace, Dr. Allen Onyema, who confirmed the bird strike incidents to three of its aircraft last week, also disclosed that in 2024, Air Peace recorded about 43 bird strikes, up from 14 bird strikes it suffered in 2021.

Few years ago, the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), the umbrella body of indigenous carriers in the country took the matter of bird strike up with concerned authorities and disclosed that it recorded a loss of $60 million to bird strike incidents in Nigeria, under 21 months.

THISDAY learnt from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) that Nigerian and foreign airlines recorded at least 127 bird strike incidents in 21 months across the nation?s 26 airports between 2021 and 2022.

This was part of the statistics released by participants at an event by the Search and Rescue Mission of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), which indicated that the industry experienced 34 bird strike incidents in 2021, but grew massively to 93 as at September 17, 2022, across the country?s airports.

Out of the 93 incidents arising from bird strikes, 58 of such happened at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, within the period.

Speaking at the event, Head Bird/Wildlife Hazard Control, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Mr. Azike Edozie, decried the high incidents arising from bird strikes in the industry and said that the responsibility of keeping the airspace safe from bird strike incidents lied with every stakeholder in the industry, including airline operators, security agencies and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

He expressed hope at the meeting that the respective agencies would find a lasting solution to the menace soon, decrying that airlines were losing millions of dollars to the incident annually.

He said: ?My record shows that we have had at least 93 bird strike incidents in all our airports between January this year (2022) to June. And out of this number, 54 of it happened in Lagos Airport alone, which represents about 70% of the total occurrences. We all have to proffer a solution to this menace and I do hope we have a lasting solution to it because everyone, especially the airlines are losing money.?

However, FAAN, which is in charge of the airports said it is doing its best to curb the spread of the incidents through the procurement of modern equipment, which it said had gone a long way to reduce its impacts.

But the Managing Director, Flight and Logistics Solutions Limited, Amos Akpan, said that whatever FAAN is doing to curb the menace of bird strike is not enough, as records indicate a continued increase in the number of incidents over the years.

He said that if FAAN had planned to bring the incident of bird strike to zero level, it would have significantly curbed its menace in Nigeria?s airspace, noting that nobody knows what FAAN is doing; so, you cannot assess whether it is improving or not.

Akpan alluded to other airports in the world and said that the priority of airport managers globally is to eliminate bird strike and bring it to the lowest ebb, but FAAN did not seem to be doing better in that area, as the number of bird strike incident is always on the increase.

?The real thing to worry about is how to bring down the incident of bird strike to zero. I don?t know FAAN?s target. The performance figures are very low. The statistics of airlines? bird strike record is very high. All other airports in the world have report of bird strike and efforts they make to curb the incidents. Some airports use multifaceted approach, from infrared to artificial electric noise and others

?My point is that performance of FAAN on bird control cannot be measured. Information is scanty about their strategy on this. We judge by the frequency of reports on incidents of bird strike in Nigerian airports. And the frequency is high.It?s expensive for operators? maintenance and insurance. There?s need to discuss shared insurance burden caused by bird strike. This would make FAAN give increased attention to bird control,? Akpan said.

Akpan also advocated that there should be insurance cover that should protect aircraft against bird strike at the airports; he noted that FAAN should ensure aircraft operating at its airports against bird strike; so that such coverage would help to defray the cost of engine replacement od repair whenever there is record of bird strike.

According to aerospace.com, aviation industry magazine, bird strikes are a very real challenge in aviation, with thousands of incidents happening worldwide every year.

The magazine explained that these collisions?where birds and aircraft meet, often during critical moments like- approach, take-off or landing?can lead to serious consequences for both safety and operations, describing it as a fascinating intersection of nature and human engineering, highlighting just how unpredictable the skies can be.

?Bird strikes occur primarily because both birds and aircraft share the airspace near airports. Airports are often located near bodies of water, grasslands, or other habitats that attract birds,? it noted.

One of the key factors identified that enable bird strike, was altitude, as bird strikes happen below 3,000 feet. However, strikes have been recorded at altitudes as high as 37,000 feet.

Also, strikes are more common during dawn and dusk, when birds are most active and also at certain times of the year due to migratory patterns. (THISDAY)

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