Abstract

In 2011 ENAC (Italian CAA) released new standards regarding prevenCon of wildlife strike hazard at Italian airports regulaCng tasks, responsibiliCes, reporCng, environmental assessment, monitoring, operaCng procedures, training and risk assessment. At the same Cme a new standard for the wildlife strike risk assessment was introduced. The Birdstrike Risk Index (BRI2) takes into account the ecological characterisCcs of the wildlife communiCes present in each airport area, the local history of wildlife strikes, their effects on flight, the number of aircraQ movements, etc., and enable the comparison of results among different airports. AQer four years, the outcomes of this “new deal” at Italian civil airports will be presented. Pros and cons of the BRI2 will be discussed, and data about yearly risk level, number of wildlife strikes, wildlife presence, etc. will be provided. Two cases of clear evidence of the importance of the environmental management around the airports will be discussed.

Abstract

Collisions between aircrafts and wildlife, mostly birds, are a serious hazard to aviation and have resulted in the loss of at least 245 aircraft and 276 lives in civil aviation since 1988. Non catastrophic wildlife strikes cause significant operational costs to the aviation industry as a result of repairs to damaged aircraft, delays and cancellations, insurance claims etc. The number of recorded wildlife strikes is increasing all over the world. In USA civil aviation this number has increased 7.4-fold from 1,851 in 1990 to a record 13,668 in 2014; in Italy increased from 348 in 2002 to 1,279 in 2015. The total cost to world commercial aviation has been conservatively estimated at $1.5 billion per year; the USA civil aviation industry, on average, spends $193 million every year, while at least €40 million is the annual cost of wildlife strike in Italy. Many populations of large bird (and mammal) species commonly involved in strikes have increased markedly in the last few decades and adapted to living in urban environments, including airports. The resident Canada goose (Branta canadensis) population in the USA and Canada increased from about 1.0 million to 3.6 million from 1990 to 2014. During the same time period, the North American snow goose (Chen caerulescens) population increased from about 2.6 million to 6.2 million birds. In Italy the breeding population of yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis), one of the species most involved in wildlife strikes (birdstrikes), together with European kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) and common swift (Apus apus), doubled in the last 20 years. Most wildlife strikes occur in Italy from May to August, and during the morning. 81.8 % of them occur below 300 ft of altitude and 64% during landing of the aircraft. In order to manage the hazard, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) requires national aviation regulators to ensure the implementation of effective wildlife management policies on the airfields and their surroundings. In Italy ENAC (Italian CAA), through its Bird Strike Committee, provides detailed guidelines and regulations that meet all aspects of the problem such as reporting, environmental assessment, monitoring, operating procedures, training and risk assessment, by clearly identifying roles, tasks and responsibilities. Since 2011 the Italian airport operator has been given the task to monitor and identify potential sources for wildlife attraction also in the vicinity of the airport, and a standard for the wildlife risk assessment was introduced. This takes into account the ecological characteristics of the wildlife communities present in each airport area, the local history of wildlife strikes, their effects on flight, the number of aircraft movements, etc., and enable the comparison of results among different airports. In the presentation wildlife strike relevance, mitigating solutions and their updated results are showed in detail at national level.

Abstract

In December 2011 ENAC (Italian CAA) released new standards regarding prevention of wildlife strike hazard at Italian airports (Regolamento per la Costruzione e l’Esercizio degli Aeroporti and Circolare ENAC APT-01B). Providing detailed guidelines, the new rules regulate all aspects of the problem such as reporting, environmental assessment, monitoring, operating procedures, training and risk assessment,. Moreover roles, tasks and responsibilities are clearly identified. For the first time the airport operator has been given the task to monitor and identify potential sources for wildlife attraction in the vicinity of the airport. At the same time a new standard for the wildlife risk assessment was introduced (BRI2) to replace the out of date previous one (number of yearly strikes out of 10.000 aircraft movements). BRI2 takes into account the ecological characteristics of the wildlife communities present in each airport area, the local history of wildlife strikes, their effects on flight, the number of aircraft movements, etc., and enable the comparison of results among different airports. How this new standard changes the overall picture of Italian airports in terms of wildlife risk assessment is showed in the present contribution.

Abstract

An ecological approach to wildlife strike risk assessment was implemented and the resulting algorithm (BRI2) was used to assess the wildlife risk at Italian airports (http://bit.ly/HbiNNK). The BRI2 takes into account the ecological characteristics of the wildlife communities present in each airport area, the local history of wildlife strikes, their effects on flight, the number of aircraft movements, etc. The main achievement is a site-specific analysis that avoids flattening wildlife strike events on a large scale while maintaining comparable airport risk assessments. The Birdstrike Risk Index (BRI2) is a sensitive tool that provides different time scale results allowing appropriate management planning. The methodology applied has been developed together with the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC), which decided to introduce it as the new standard regarding wildlife strike risk assessment at Italian airports (Regolamento per la Costruzione e l’Esercizio degli Aeroporti and Circolare ENAC APT-01B).

Riassunto

The presence of wildlife in airport areas poses substantial hazards to aviation. Wildlife aircraft collisions (hereafter wildlife strikes) cause losses in terms of human lives and direct monetary losses for the aviation industry. In recent years, wildlife strikes have increased in parallel with air traffic increase and species habituation to anthropic areas. In this paper, we used an ecological approach to wildlife strike risk assessment to eight Italian international airports. The main achievement is a site-specific analysis that avoids flattening wildlife strike events on a large scale while maintaining comparable airport risk assessments. This second version of the Birdstrike Risk Index (BRI2) is a sensitive tool that provides different time scale results allowing appropriate management planning. The methodology applied has been developed in accordance with the Italian Civil Aviation Authority, which recognizes it as a national standard implemented in the advisory circular ENAC APT-01B.

Riassunto

Birdstrike in Italy: Present and Future

The risk of birdstrike is a serious problem all over the world. In January 2009 a flock of Canadian geese did force an Airbus A320 jet to crash-land on the Hudson River in New York, while in November 2008 a B-738 jet crashed in Roma Ciampino because of Starlings. In North America, Italy and most of the other countries bird strike haz- ards are dramatically increasing (in USA during 2009 more than 10.000 birdstrikes occurred, while in Italy they were 912), also because the populations of many bird species have increased dramatically since the last twenty years. In Italy the breeding population of Larus michahellis, one of the most involved species in birdstrikes, to- gether with Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) and Swift (Apus apus), doubled in the last 20 years. Most birdstrikes occur between May and September and during the morn- ing; 67% of them occur below 300 ft of altitude and 64% during landing (34% dur- ing take-off). The Bird Strike Committee Italy is the task force dealing with this is- sue since 1987. It is an ENAC (Italian Civil Aviation Authority) operative structure and since then collected many data from more than 40 airports. It achieved many re- sults, especially under the reporting point of view, and for the next future is planning several activities in order to mitigate and better monitor the birdstrike hazard in Italy.

Riassunto

Most accredited studies in Italy and all over the world emphasize the problems related to traditional falconry used as a means against bird hazard at airports. Some negative features of using falcons are the impossibility to be employed during some periods of the year and adverse weather conditions, unforeseen animal behaviour, their biological needs, the tight dependency on the falconer and the limited employment over the day. Above all, high costs play a key role due to the value of the animals, to their training, to the number of birds necessary to be effectively operated on a medium/large size airport and finally to the employment features. The attempts to use remote-controlled model aircrafts instead of real falcons proved to be unsuccessful because of the habituation effect it produced on other birds, that are certainly harassed by the device, but do not recognize it as a natural bird of prey, whose hunting area must be avoided. So it is the frightening effect that is missing, upon which also other dispersal methods are based, such as distress calls or predator effigies. The use of full scale bird of prey accurate reproductions, engine powered and fully remote-controlled, seems to have reached the goal to match the natural predator effectiveness with employment flexibility, cost reduction and mass production.

Riassunto

The importance of bird monitoring at airports: the case of Fiumicino, Roma

According to a simple - but effective - methodology to monitor bird community and scaring devices adopted and tested at Fiumicino Airport (Roma) since 1989, the information gathered during the period 1989-90 and the period 1995-96 were compared. The obtained results show a decrease in the presence of Gulls (Larus cachinnans and Larus ridibundus) of more than 80%; Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) decreased of 74,7% and Lapwings (Vanellus vanellus) of 24,2%. These results strongly highlight the importance of a continuous monitoring effort of the avian community at airports, in order to better calibrate and implement the bird-avoidance strategy, and to check the obtained results. Paper presented at the 24 International Bird Strike Committee - Stara Lesna, September 1998.

Riassunto

According to a simple but effective methodology adopted and tested at Fiumicino Airport (Roma) since 1989, to monitor bird community and scaring devices, the information gathered during the period 1989-90 and the period 1995-96 were compared. The obtained results show a decrease in the presence of Gulls (Larus cachinnans and Larus ridibundus) of more than 80%; Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) decreased of 74,7% and Lapwings (Vanellus vanellus) of 24,2%. These results strongly highlight the importance of a continuous monitoring effort of the avian community at airports, in order to better calibrate and implement the bird- avoidance strategy, and to check the obtained results.

Riassunto

In order to give to each aerodrome a rough risk value regarding the potential bird hazard, recoveries of ringed birds (data from Italian Ringing Scheme) have been used. Six Italian International airports were selected as example sites (Milan, Venice, Genoa, Roma, Cagliari and Palermo) and recoveries around each site were analyzed. For each bird species a risk value was calculated considering weight, strike statistics, habitat and behaviour. Examples of montly and seasonal risk scales are shown for selected sites. This kind of analysis can be a usefull tool in order to give important information for bird strike hazard prevention.

Riassunto

The avian community of Roma International Airport of Fiumicino has been investigated from 1989 to 1991 with a project commissioned by the Operative Safety Division of Aeroporti di Roma Society. Linear Transect Method as been used and more than 1700 daily recording forms were filled. 88 species of birds were observed: 37 non Passerines and 51 Passerines. Yellow legged gull (Larus cachinnans), Black-headed gull (Larus ridibundus), Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus), Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) and Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix) resulted to be the most important species for risk of collision with landing and taking off aircrafts. Circannual data about their localization, number, periods of presence, flocking, habitat and time preferences, responses to scaring devices, etc. have been collected. The complete results of the research are at present used for planning a complete renewal programme of all scaring devices system.

Abstract

Der Vogelbestand am Internationalen Flughafen Fiumicino in Rom ist von 1989 bis 1991 in einem Projekt untersucht worden, das von der Abteilung Operative Sicherheit der römischen Flughafengesellschaft vergeben wurde. Es wurden Linientaxierungen durchgeführt, und mehr als 1.700 tägliche Erfassungsbögen wurden ausgefüllt. 88 Vogelarten wurden beobachtet, davon 37 Nichtsingvogel- und 51 Singvogelarten. Weißkopfmöwe (Larus cachinnans), Lachmöwe (Larus ridibundus), Kiebitz (Vanellus vanellus), Star (Sturnus vulgaris) und Nebelkrähe (Corvus corone cornix) waren die für das Vogelschlagrisiko bei Start und Landung wichtigsten Arten. Daten über deren Aufenthaltsort, Anzahl, Anwesenheitsperioden, Schwarmbildung, Standortansprüche, tageszeitliches Auftreten, Ansprechen auf Vergrämungsgeräte usw. sind über zwei Jahre gesammelt worden. die gesamten Ergebnisse der Untersuchungen werden gegenwärtig verwendet,, um ein völlig neues Vergrämungsprogramm zu entwickeln.