Air safety: CAA asks locals to clean up after sacrificial slaughtering

Says entrails attract birds, increasing risk of air traffic accidents.

PESHAWAR: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has asked locals living adjacent to the airport to not dump animal remains around Bacha Khan International Airport (BKIA).

Airport manager Tahir Sikandar told The Express Tribune the remains attract birds which gather in the airspace near the landing strip, making it difficult for pilots to land at or take-off from the airport.

“We request people not to slaughter animals in the vicinity of the airport; even if they do, they should not leave the remains outside in the open and should bury everything so birds are not attracted,” said Sikandar. “The local government and municipal committee should also inspect areas adjacent to the airport to collect any remains.”

CAA officials told The Express Tribune Pakistan Air Force has also requested people across the country to avoid leaving behind animal remains.

“They have been publishing advertisements in newspapers and are airing them on  TV to raise public awareness about how dangerous it could be to not clean up after sacrificial animals are butchered in open spaces,” said an official requesting anonymity. The CAA routinely fires at birds so they keep at a distance from the runway. “All this is done to ensure maximum security for travellers and the aircrafts.”

Plane engines are known to fail when birds get stuck there; there have been occasions when flocks of birds advance towards the plane and cause damage to the cockpit windshield.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2014.