Dogs that strayed on to runway shot dead

CAA bans making of mobile phone videos as footage goes viral

KARACHI:

Two stray dogs that entered the runway and apron area of the Jinnah International Airport were shot dead by a team of the official bird shooters of the airport.

A video posted on social media shows the stray dogs freely roaming around during the taxi by a flight full of passengers. The incident occurred on August 23.

According to Jinnah International Airport CEO Imran Khan, instant action was taken against the dogs which appeared near the runway. "Immediate action is taken against animals and birds which may pose danger to the planes," he said.

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He said both the dogs had been shot dead by the bird-shooter team. He lamented that several letters have been written to the district administration to prevent the wildlife from entering into the airport.

Khan said it is evident in the video that a bird-shooter vehicle is quickly chasing the dogs, adding the incident occurred on the evening of August 23. Spokesperson for Civil Aviation Saad Bin Ayub said the dogs entered under the fence around the runway of the airport, however, their entrance area was closed.

He said the bird-shooters while taking immediate action killed the dogs whose presence did not cause any loss. He said the fence around the runway is being inspected in detail to prevent any such incident from happening in the future. He said the animals and birds come near the airport in search of food, which is dangerous for planes. He appealed to the people not to throw away garbage and food items near the airport.

Meanwhile, a ban was imposed on taking pictures or recording videos from mobile phone cameras at the Jinnah International Airport.

A letter in this regard was sent to all the relevant institutions and line operators including the national and international airlines by the joint director vigilance of the CAA. The letter declared the act of recording videos in the airport lounge and apron area as a security risk. It said the mobile phones and airport entry cards of the relevant employees and personnel shall be confiscated in case of violation of the directives.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 29^th, 2021.