Bird strikes continue to be a major threat in India, with reports claiming that Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) Airport is one of the most severely impacted.
According to reports, in terms of bird strike incidents in 2024, Ahmedabad is listed at number four out of India’s top five airports, revealed recent data from the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation. Last year, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) documented 77 instances of bird strikes. A further 29 instances have already been documented in the first half of 2025 alone. The only airports with increased numbers in recent months are Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi.
Delhi led the tally with 130 cases last year while Mumbai and Bengaluru reported 86 and 88 cases respectively.
Ahmedabad’s numbers placed it above larger airports such as Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Chennai, all of which logged 43 incidents in the same year.
These alarming statistics emerged days after a former state government official served the Airports Authority of India with a legal notice requesting that approximately 25 meat and poultry stores near the airport be shut down right away.
It is held that meat businesses contribute to a major role in the increasing number of birds around the airfield, which continues to endanger aviation operations.
Media reports, attributing unnamed officials, revealed that the challenges of controlling bird activity around the airport stem largely from urban environmental conditions.
Open garbage dumping, the presence of water bodies, and unregulated construction work continue to draw birds dangerously close to the flight paths. Despite the SVPI airport having a well-defined wildlife hazard management programme, the effectiveness of current mitigation efforts remains in question.
In the aftermath of the devastating A1171 crash—which claimed the lives of nearly 260 people, including 241 passengers and crew members as well as several on the ground—authorities were compelled to escalate safety measures at SVPI airport with renewed urgency. The scale of the tragedy sent shockwaves through aviation and regulatory corridors, prompting immediate intervention. In response, the airport deployed a reinforced team of bird chasers, equipped with bio-acoustic deterrent systems and specialized firecrackers designed to drive birds away from critical airside zones.
Furthermore, Farrow’s Light Traps were installed to target insect populations that attract bird species such as mynas, swallows, swifts, and rosy starlings. Grass cutting operations, now carried out exclusively at night, aim to reduce ground-level nesting and feeding areas.
Anti-perching devices were set up at the Kotarpur waterworks to prevent roosting by pigeons, one of the most common and persistent threats near the airport.
Yet, the frequency of bird strikes has raised serious concerns about their overall effectiveness and the pressing need for broader, city-level coordination.
Despite ongoing efforts, the high incidence of bird strikes last year laid bare the limits of internal airport controls and underscored the need for civic intervention.
The general sentiment is that pigeon racing and fights in Sardarnagar and Kubernagar — both near the perimeter — pose a direct threat to flight safety. Monsoon aggravates the issue. It remains a year-round concern.
The airport has urged municipal authorities to act swiftly and decisively against these external hazards.
Bird strikes have persisted as a grave safety concern at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) Airport, with recent data from the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, presented in Parliament, placing Ahmedabad fourth among the top five airports in India for such incidents in 2024.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has recorded 77 bird strike incidents at the airport that year alone, and another 29 incidents were already reported in just the first half of 2025. Only Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru airports reported higher numbers in recent months. Delhi led the tally with 130 incidents in 2024, followed by Bengaluru at 88 and Mumbai at 86. Ahmedabad surpassed even larger airports like Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Chennai, each of which logged 43 bird strike cases during the same period.
The alarming numbers emerge in the wake of a legal notice served to the Airports Authority of India by a former state government official. The notice demanded a crackdown on and closure of nearly 25 meat and poultry shops operating in the vicinity of the airport. The presence of these establishments has been cited as a significant contributing factor to the bird menace, adding to the hazardous conditions near the airport.
Sources familiar with airside operations have indicated that the SVPI airport has been implementing several initiatives under a structured wildlife hazard management programme. These efforts intensified particularly after the tragic A1171 crash, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 260 individuals, including 241 passengers and crew members, as well as people on the ground. In response, the airport authority deployed an expanded team of bird chasers equipped with bio-acoustic deterrent systems and specialised firecrackers.
Farrow’s Light Traps were installed to cut down on insect populations that attract species like mynas, rosy starlings, swifts, and swallows. Grass cutting operations are now carried out at night, and anti-perching devices have been set up at the Kotarpur water-works to deter pigeon nesting.
Despite these interventions, the number of bird strikes remains troublingly high, underscoring the inadequacy of current efforts and the need for sustained, coordinated action. Sources said that civic cooperation is essential, as unmanaged external factors continue to pose a significant threat. Open garbage dumps, stagnant water bodies, and ongoing construction around flight approach paths are reportedly attracting birds to critical zones.
A source from the airport said that civic authorities must act decisively to tackle pigeon racing and pigeon fight activities occurring in Sardarnagar and Kubernagar, neighborhoods directly adjoining the airport’s perimeter wall. These practices, the source noted, represent a direct threat to flight safety and demand immediate municipal intervention.
According to the source, although the problem intensifies during and after the monsoon season, bird activity remains a year-round concern due to persistent environmental conditions that draw avian hazards close to the aerodrome.
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