At a time when airports across the country are trying to confront a common problem in the form of terrorist threats, the bustling HAL Airport here faces another threat due to the increase in bird population around the airport.
Over the years, the mushrooming of human habitation around the airport and dumping of waste materials in its vicinity, have attracted large numbers of scavenger birds which are a huge threat to flight movements at the airport.
With over 260 flight landings and take-offs every day, the HAL airport is the third busiest in the country and with birds hovering around the runway it could easily come in contact with the flights during takeoffs or landings, resulting in crashes.
In 2005, a MiG-21 aircraft of the Air Force Training and Testing Establishment came in contact with a kite-sized bird while taking off and crashed on the runway.

Palike ‘apathy’
Following this, HAL authorities had requested Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike to cover an open storm-water drain which runs across the airport’s boundary wall, stating that it was a major factor in attracting scavenger birds.
Put off by this delay in covering the drain, Airport Authority of India officials say the drain is a major menace as it is the prime reason why birds stray on to the flight path.
“When the HAL Airport started operations there were hardly any residential areas around the runway but now there are any number of them. The garbage and waste thrown around the airport’s boundary wall, especially inside the open drain, attracts these birds. But the civic authorities have been turing a blind eye to this problem,” alleges a senior AAI official. However, till date the drain remains uncovered and the BBMP officials say STUP Consultancy firm is yet to submit a design for covering the drain. A proposal has been made to cover about 400 metres of the drain within the airport.
“Once STUP submits the design, the drain will be covered immediately,” say Palike officials.