Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport is intensifying efforts to mitigate a surge in bird strikes, with over 100 confirmed incidents in the last six years. Recent data indicates 109 reported strikes between 2019 and May 2025, including 25 in 2023, 24 in 2024, and 10 in just the first five months of 2025. Concern centres on nearby waste sites—particularly the Belghoria Expressway dumpyard—just over 5 km from the runway, which attract a high density of birds.
Senior aviation officials emphasise the risk: even small birds can impair engines or damage airframes. An IndiGo flight had recently aborted take‑off in May–June 2025 after a bird strike. In response, airport authorities have deployed bird‑chasers, zone guns, sirens, spikes, and electronic deterrents, and have engaged an external agency to map bird movements within a 13 km radius. Municipal collaboration is being ramped up. The Aerodrome Environment Management Committee (AEMC) and municipal bodies are removing open dumps, sealing meat and fish stalls within airport vicinity, and improving waste handling to eliminate bird attractants. Results are emerging: between January and April 2025, confirmed bird-strike incidents fell to just four, down from 26 in 2024 and 18 in 2023.
Experts stress that an integrated approach—mixing habitat control, deterrent technologies, and community awareness—is essential. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has initiated habitat management programmes, deploying sonic and ultrasonic devices, grass control treatments, and warning systems near high-risk zones. International aviation norms under the ICAO and DGCA mandate a 10 km buffer around airports free from bird‑attracting activities. While strides have been made, authorities admit the threat remains. The presence of unsealed markets and unmanaged dumps near airport boundaries poses ongoing challenges. The airport director has called for stricter regulations and consistent municipal enforcement to sustain gains.
As air traffic picks up following global incidents like the Ahmedabad crash, Kolkata’s intensified anti-bird-strike campaign aims for zero incidents. Success will require durable urban planning, enforcement of waste‑management policies, and continuous inter-agency coordination. Its outcome will serve as a model for other Indian airports striving for safe, sustainable air travel.
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