The flight operations at Allama Iqbal International Airport were disrupted on Wednesday due to the presence of a huge flock of birds.
The Civil Aviation Authority stopped the planes from landing at the airport today. The flights were diverted to other airports in order to avoid the chaotic situation.
The Lahore airport is surrounded by wedding halls, where leftover food is thrown in nearby areas. Birds gather to have a feast but they pose substantial threat to planes.
Bird strikes cost the aviation industry millions of dollars every year. According to estimates, airlines in the US suffer loss of USD 68.3 million per year while worldwide the carriers have lost USD 1.3 billion in direct damage and associated costs in terms of aircraft down-time.
According to an Airbus study, in the incident of a bird- hit, 41 per cent chances are that an aircraft’s engine or its nose, radome and windshield are damaged. While chances of fuselage or wings being damaged is just seven per cent, the same stands at three per cent for landing gears and one per cent for tail.—INP
