Bird strikes on the rise at airports across Pakistan

Raising alarm bells for airlines and travellers alike, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Wednesday issued harrowing statistics about the increasing number of bird strikes at the country’s major airports.

The report takes stock of incidents between January 2018 and May 2022. Six hundred and twenty-two incidents were recorded in the past four-and-a-half years, with birds colliding with both domestic and foreign aircraft.

According to the data, Lahore airport witnessed the highest number of bird strikes, with 198 incidents being recorded during this period.

Karachi airport recorded 192 strikes, Islamabad airport 100, Sialkot airport 53, Peshawar airport 40, Multan airport 26, Faisalabad airport 22 and Quetta airport recorded 17 strikes.
According to the CAA, 60 per cent of these incidents were reported during the monsoon season.

The months of June, July, August and September saw an increase in such incidents.

In 2021, 142 incidents were reported, while from January to May this year, 48 incidents were reported.
Due to bird strikes, domestic and international airlines had to bear heavy financial losses.