Bird risk high at Chch Airport

Press, 1 September 1982, Page 6

Bird risk high at Chch Airport

;• Christchurch Airport had twice as many bird strikes .between April and June as or Auckland airIports. according to statistics ■before the Christchurch City public utilities meeting yesterday. The figures showed that about one in 300 aircraft .movements in and out of the ■airport was affected by bird strikes or near misses, the committee was told. Birds attracted to refuse tips near the airport were .the cause of the high number •of bird strikes, said Mr M. W. Atkinson, the airport's director. The Waimairi District and Paparua County Councils and the Metropolitan Refuse Dis-

I posal Committee had been ; told this several times and ; knew of the need to close the tips near the airport, he said. "Some of those blackbacked gulls flying round the tips would be e'nough to wipe out an aircraft engine and the plane would have to turn back, but at a critical stage of take-off a bird-strike could be more dangerous." Mr Atkinson said. The many small aircraft that used the airport were in even greater danger from a bird strike, he said. "Christchurch could well have a terrible air disaster as a result of this situation." said the Mavor. Sir Hamish Hay. "Waimairi and Paparua

are proceeding to build up a mountain of rubbish — Mount Rich or whatever it's called — and unless they stop, something terrible could happen." Sir Hamish said. At his suggestion, the committee decided to send a delegation to both councils to emphasise the seriousness of the problem and to ask them to do something about it. The committee was told the proposed runway extension would mean that aircraft would be flying even lower, and so the bird hazard would be increased. "If the pile of rubbish gets any higher, it will become a height hazard to aircraft as well." Mr Atkinson said.