Bird-hitting scare still looms over Thiruvananthapuram airport; corporation waiting for disaster

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The bird-hitting scare in the Thiruvananthapuram airport is not dying anytime soon. The authorities have been warned several times but the issue has received no respite to date. In the wake of the president's arrival, the corporation banned the working of the butcher shops nearby the airport premise to stop the swarming of birds.

On a daily basis, the flights landing here is escaping a catastrophe by just a whisker. It is a routine scene in the airport where the birds crowd up to the landing flight in dozens. The pilots have often reported the risky affair to authorities but no one has been given a clear interest in their case. According to aircraft rules, there shall not be any butcher shop in the 10 km premise to the airport. If found, the local administration can move with criminal cases against them. However, it seems the authorities will drag on with this case until a disaster shocks the capital.

According to the aviation ministry, it is in Thrivananathapuram that the pilots find it most difficult to land amidst a swarming of birds. Every month, at least five birds get hit by flights just escaping a tragedy. The chief minister once assured about finding a wiggle room to end this issue for the best. The chief secretary even held talks with officials to clear the piling of waste in the nearby premise which normally gets a lot of birds. All such talks never met their purpose as the pilots still do yeoman work to land the flights in the capital.