Call to avoid feeding and raising birds near airport

Pigeon fanciers in Bahrain have been urged by a top official to ensure that they raise their birds far away from the airport due to the risk it poses to flight safety.

Hidd Police Station’s head Colonel Dr Osama Bahar revealed that there are around 1,000 pigeons in the area around the airport, and they tend to fly in an erratic manner, risking bird strikes to planes as they take off and land.

Speaking on the Interior Ministry’s Al Aman social media programme, he also urged people to avoid feeding pigeons to minimise the risk of a tragedy occurring.

“There are many risk associated with raising pigeons and feeding them, whether at home, in a cemetery or a public space,” said Col Dr Bahar.

“Bird feathers can be harmful as they can cause lung infections, discomfort, allergies and even blindness through infections that can result in loss of vision.

“Pigeon droppings meanwhile, can potentially cause more than 50 different types of diseases, including fungal infections, bacterial infections and E Coli, especially when they accumulate on air conditioners.

“However, the biggest risk, which can cost countries around $1.5 billion per year and results in the loss of life of people and wildlife, comes from bird strikes.

“There are approximately 1,000 pigeons around the Bahrain International Airport, which fly in a dangerous manner at an altitude just below 150 feet, posing a threat to aircraft that are taking off or landing.”

Col Dr Bahar highlighted a couple of incidents that happened around the world, including the infamous ‘Miracle on the Hudson’.

Col Dr Bahar

On January 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 had to make an emergency landing in the Hudson River after a flock of Canada geese struck both engines shortly after taking off from LaGuardia Airport in New York, causing complete engine failure.

Captain Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger and First Officer Jeffrey Skiles saved all 155 passengers and crew.

In a more recent incident mentioned by Col Dr Bahar, Jeju Air Flight 2216 was a scheduled international passenger flight operated from Suvarnabhumi Airport near Bangkok, Thailand, to Muan International Airport in South Korea.

On 29 December 2024, when the flight was approaching Muan, a bird strike occurred, with both of the engines ingesting birds, causing an apparent loss of thrust in the right engine.

The landing gear did not deploy and the airplane bellied beyond the normal touchdown zone. It overran the runway at high speed, collided with a lighting system, and crashed into a concrete structure, resulting in the deaths of all 175 passengers and four of its six crew members.

In order to minimise the chance of such a tragedy occurring in Bahrain, Col Dr Bahar urged people to stop raising pigeons and feeding them anywhere near the airport.

“The hobby is not worth the potential cost of people losing their lives,” he said.

“Matters such as flight safety are not a game, do not raise the birds anywhere near the area.

“As for those who feed the birds, not only are you also potentially endangering lives, but you may also get fined by the municipality.”

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.

In July 2022, signs urging people not to feed birds were put up in the Capital Governorate following concerns raised in the past by municipal councillors that seagulls feasting on piles of leftover machboos.

Bahrain Airport Company recruited a wildlife control consultant following a tender in 2023 to provide a comprehensive survey to study, analyse, identify and evaluate current bird strike risks. The results of the study have yet to be revealed.

nader@gdnmedia.bh