A comprehensive review to address wildlife-related risks, including bird strikes, at Bahrain International Airport (BIA) is now complete.
The Bahrain Airport Company (BAC), the operator and managing body of BIA, announced yesterday that it has completed an assessment of its Wildlife Hazard Management Programme in partnership with Avisure Ltd, a renowned aviation wildlife management consultancy headquartered in the US and Australia.
The review leverages the expertise and industry best practices provided by Avisure, supporting BAC to “proactively address evolving wildlife-related risks and implement industry best practices and mitigation measures, while reaffirming its commitment to upholding the highest levels of safety and operational excellence”.
This includes plans to develop species strike risk profiles, and deliver training for wildlife control personnel.
The assessment programme consisted of three thorough evaluations, the first of which was conducted in July last year, the second in January this year, and the most recent held this month.
The programme evaluation included a thorough Wildlife Hazard Assessment (WHA) which involved wildlife surveys, a review of existing wildlife management practices and documentation, and an audit against Bahrain’s Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA) regulations, International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Annex 14 requirements, besides other relevant international standards.
“At Bahrain International Airport, the safety of the aerodrome is of paramount importance, and our Wildlife Hazard Management Programme is a vital component of our commitment to maintaining the highest operational and safety standards,” said BAC chief executive Mohammed AlBinfalah.
“This comprehensive review ensures that our programme aligns with best practices and equips our team with the knowledge and tools to effectively mitigate wildlife hazards, further enhancing the safety standards at the airport and strengthening the collective ability of the airlines operating at BIA to safeguard the well-being of passengers, staff and the surrounding environment.”
He added that by assessing the airport’s Wildlife Hazard Management Programme and aligning it with the industry’s most robust best practices on regular basis, “we continue to reinforce our commitment to safe operations at BIA and cement its position as a global leader in aviation safety and operational excellence”.
The WHA involved three site visits to BIA, during which Avisure conducted a gap analysis of the existing programme established in 2018, updated the species risk assessment, and delivered specialised training to key BAC personnel.
The GDN first reported in March last year that the BAC was looking to appoint a wildlife control consultant at BIA to mitigate such risks.
The tender at the time that was floated mentioned appointing a wildlife control consultant to provide a comprehensive survey to study, analyse, identify and evaluate BAC’s current bird strike risk profile.
This followed as part of measures to meet the standards set by the Transportation and Telecommunications Ministry in 2016 which state that the operator must ‘take appropriate action’ to reduce risk to operations by adopting measures to minimise the likelihood of collisions between wildlife and aircraft.
Such incidents, known as bird strikes, cause thousands of bird deaths annually worldwide, and also result in aircraft damage and cancellation of flights, costing the ICAO a reported $1.4 billion annually.
While they most commonly occur during take-off, landing or low-altitude flights, they have also been reported at altitudes of more than 9,000 metres above sea level.
In addition to land birds, many waders frequent the kingdom, characterised by their long legs and preference to gather in shallow waters in search of food during low tide.
Additionally, the eastern coast, such as along Tubli and Arad, as well as Amwaj Islands, are other areas where many migratory bird species can be found.
Bird strikes have affected regional carriers in the past such as in January 2014, when a Gulf Air flight from Thiruvananthapuram was diverted back to the airport after an incident shortly after take-off.
In February 2019, a FlyDubai flight to Jizan in Saudi Arabia was also forced to turn back to Dubai, with the flight delayed by almost four hours following a bird strike.
The latest incident was in May this year when at least 39 flamingos were killed after an aircraft hit them in the western Indian city of Mumbai, sparking concerns among environmentalists.
The Emirates flight, which had more than 300 passengers, made a safe landing following the incident.
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