Rise in number of birds threatens aircraft safety
The cargo plane blacklisted by the US was immobilised and the five-member crew was detained at the airport. Photo: Anadolu Agency/File
A sharp increase in the number of birds at the Jinnah International Airport Karachi is again posing a threat to the aviation safety as two incidents of birds striking commercial airliners have been reported during the last three days, The Express Tribune has learnt.
According to sources, the latest incidents involved flights of Qatar Airways and PIA. On October 13, a bird collided with Qatar Airways flight QR-610 from Doha was about to land on Runway 25L.
The bird hit engine No. 2 of the aircraft. Around 150 passengers and crewmembers were on board the flight. Luckily, the bird strike did not cause any damage to the aircraft and it landed safely.
The second incident, sources informed, involved a domestic flight of PIA coming from Sukkur. A bird collided with the aircraft at an altitude of 2,500 feet while the plane was preparing to land. The plane, however, landed safely without any untoward incident. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has advised caution during landing and takeoff at Karachi Airport. At the same time, additional bird shooters have been deployed in the airport's funnel zone.
According to the CAA spokesperson, the Qatar Airways captain informed the Air Traffic Control that something had hit the engine. The aircraft was, however, fully airworthy for its return flight to Doha.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 16th, 2022.