Ahmedabad Airport (Photo Credit: Twitter)
New Delhi:
Airports across globe have reported accidents due to frequent occurrence of stray animals on the runway and authorities take extreme measures to eliminate this scare. These stray animals pose a major threat to air safety in most airports across the nation. According to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials, animals straying onto the runway are routine at many airports in India. The stray animals found in the runways of Indian airports include dogs, antelope, cows, jackals, snakes, and monkeys. However, never a sole person took responsibility to bring an end to this menace or at least try.
Now, a recent video tweeted by ANI show an airport official at Sardar Vallabhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad dressed in 'bear' costume to scare away langurs on the premises.
#WATCH Gujarat: An airport official at Sardar Vallabhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad dressed in 'bear' costume to scare away langoors on the premises. (Source-Airport Authority of India) pic.twitter.com/Qa6iIPFoLq
— ANI (@ANI) February 7, 2020
Monkeys are scared of bears in the natural habitat and as seen in the video, the low-cost tactic can be seen working in favour of the airport authorities.
According to IANS, at Goa airport, since January 1, 2014 there have been 224 scares involving civilian flights, most of them involving eagles, pigeons, kites, owls, crows, even peacocks and stray dogs near the runway, states data submitted to the state government by the Indian Navy, from whose base the airport functions from.
In September last year, stray dogs forced an Air Asia flight to Delhi to abort take-off after air traffic control personnel spotted stray dogs on the runway. In August 2019, an Air India flight, while attempting to land at Dabolim at night, was forced also to abort landing after the pilot spotted stray dogs meandering on the runway.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in the state Legislative Assembly tabled a document claiming that every ten days, at least one civilian aircraft landing or taking off at Goa's Dabolim International Airport faces dangers involving birds or stray dogs near the runway.
