Russian airports neglect bird hazard — airline CEO

Russian airports are neglecting the rules of ornithological protection, low-cost airline Pobeda CEO Andrei Kalmykov said in an interview with journalists on Wednesday.

Pobeda, which is part of Russia’s flagship airline Aeroflot, has sent letters with the relevant warnings to the Russian Transport Ministry and the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia), the chief executive said.

"Virtually no airport complies with the rules. We register collisions with birds in the area of aerodromes every week. Moreover, we’re sustaining losses from the idleness of aircraft and expenses on their repairs and, importantly, this is a serious threat to flight safety. Sooner or later, this will end badly," he said.

A bird strike is a term used in aviation denoting aircraft collisions with birds in the air or during movements on the ground. It is considered as part of the negative impact of surrounding factors on the functioning of an airliner’s systems and flight.

Activities related to reducing the bird hazard in aviation are regulated at the national level in many countries and at the global level, in particular, in the documentation of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Measures to prevent bird strikes are part of a compulsory set of flight safety practices.

In Russia, this problem is addressed by the Aviation Ornithology Group.