As climate change shifts migratory patterns and bird populations grow, the problem posed by birds for airlines, pilots and passengers is becoming more visible.
On 30 December 2024, 179 passengers lost their lives when a Jeju Air flight crashed in South Korea following a suspected “bird strike”.
A preliminary investigation released last month confirmed that bird strikes played a role in the fatal crash, with feathers and blood stains from Baikal teals, a migratory duck species, found in both engines of the Boeing 737-800.
The deadly incident was not the first time an aircraft has crashed following a collision with a bird.
In 2009, US Airways flight 1549 famously landed on the Hudson River following a collision with a flock of geese migrating through the airspace at a low altitude.
The flock took out both engines during the “Miracle on the Hudson” incident that was, fortunately, survived by all 155 passengers and crew onboard.
With efforts to prevent collisions between birds and aircraft including a frozen chicken cannon, long grass and a Tina Turner playlist, here is everything prospective flyers need to know about bird strikes.
Read more: Astonishing damage revealed after Tui plane’s collision with swans
What is a bird strike?
A bird strike is a collision between a bird or airborne animal and an aircraft.
Bird strikes can cause significant damage to aircraft, with a risk of jet engines losing power should they suck in a bird. Struck aircraft will often need to abort their take-off or landing attempts, which can be costly for airlines and their passengers.
How often do bird strikes happen?
Bird strikes are common in the aviation industry and are most likely to occur during takeoff, landing or near airports.
Globally, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) estimates that there were just shy of 300,000 “wildlife strikes” between 1990 and 2022.
According to the latest Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) figures, there were 1,432 recorded bird strikes in the UK in 2022. The CAA recorded an average rate of 256 bird strikes per 10,000 aircraft movements in July of the same year.
In 2021, a paper in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences estimated that there are at least 50 billion wild birds worldwide.
The more aircraft movements in an area, the higher the risk of a bird strike.
Bird strike…
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