Bird-hit spike prompts plan to cover Mumbai airport's nearby dumpsites
In the wake of frequent incidents of flights getting affected due to bird hits in the last few days, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been instructed to immediately begin work on modernising and covering the Versova waste transfer station within the next 15 days.In an effort to reduce the risk posed to air travel due to bird strikes, Maharashtra Minister Ashish Shelar has also directed that scientists, environmental experts and young researchers be invited to suggest innovative solutions and technologies to prevent bird activity around garbage collection and dumping areas near airports.advertisementA meeting to this effect was convened on June 25 in light of the June 12 plane crash in Ahmedabad, underlining the urgent need to enhance safety protocols at the Mumbai Airport.
Notably, the area within a 10-km radius of the Mumbai Airport includes dumping grounds, mangroves and forest land, which attract a large number of birds, thereby posing a threat to air travel.During the meeting, BMC officials stated that they currently do not possess any technology to deter birds. However, they are exploring the use of new technologies to manage waste more efficiently, particularly to reduce wastewater, and a proposal in this regard is under active consideration.Taking note of that, Shelar emphasised the need to invite scientists, entrepreneurs, young researchers and startups to contribute innovative ideas. To facilitate this, he proposed organising a dedicated hackathon to crowdsource practical and technology-driven solutions to the problem.advertisementShelar added that the findings of the hackathon will be discussed with concerned agencies and stakeholders and a report will then be prepared based on these evaluations. He also suggested setting up a State Airport Environment Committee (AEMC) for consultation and guidance on implementing the proposed solutions.Additionally, Minister Shelar emphasised the urgent need to modernise the Versova Waste Transfer Centre, which lies within the airport's funnel zone and spans approximately 2 acres. The modernisation plan should include the construction of a shed cover, installation of an odour control system, and deployment of a mobile compaction unit. He instructed that tenders be issued within the next 15 days and that the work commence without delay.FREQUENT BIRD HITS AGGRAVATE SITUATIONBird strikes on aircraft are on the rise with 20 incidents reported in 2020, 35 in 2021, 36 in 2022, 60 in 2023, and 59 in 2024. As many as three major bird-hit incidents have been reported this past week only.On June 18, a Kolkata-bound IndiGo flight was aborted just minutes before take off in Bhubaneshwar due to a bird strike while the flight was on the runway.Two days later, an Air India flight from Delhi to Pune was grounded following a bird hit. On June 24, an Air India flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi was cancelled following a suspected bird strike just before landing in the Kerala capital.advertisementMeanwhile, there has also been a noticeable rise in the number of migratory birds, such as flamingos, in the Thane creek area. Their population has surged from 10,000 in 2015 to 2 lakh in 2024, as per official data, calling for immediate reformatory measures to be taken.- Ends
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Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
Govt denies entry to UN aviation investigator in Air India crash probe
India would not allow a UN investigator to join a probe of a crashed Air India jet that some safety experts had criticised for delays in analysis of crucial black box data, two senior sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Earlier this week, the United Nations aviation agency took the unusual step of offering India one of its investigators to provide assistance following the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crash killing 260 people in Ahmedabad on June 12. Previously, the International Civil Aviation Organization has deployed investigators to help with certain probes, such as the downing of a Malaysian plane in 2014 and a Ukrainian jetliner in 2020, but those times the agency had been asked for assistance. ICAO had asked for the investigator who was in India to be given observer status, but Indian authorities refused the offer, the sources said. The news was first reported on Thursday by the Indian news channel Times Now. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is leading the probe into the world's deadliest aviation accident in a decade, did not return a request for comment. ICAO was not immediately available for comment. India's civil aviation ministry said on Thursday that investigators downloaded flight recorder data around two weeks after the crash. Previously, safety experts had questioned a lack of information about the probe, including the status of the combined black box unit recovered on June 13, along with a second set that was found on June 16. Questions were also raised on whether the recorders would be read in India or in the US since the National Transportation Safety Board is participating in the investigation. The Indian government held only one press conference on the incident, and no questions were taken. Under international rules known throughout the industry by their legal name "Annex 13," the decision of where to read flight recorders should be made immediately in case the evidence obtained could avert future tragedies. Earlier this week, an Indian aviation ministry official who declined to be named said the department has been "following all the ICAO protocols." The official added that media representatives have made updates on important events. Most air crashes are caused by multiple factors, with a preliminary report expected about 30 days after the accident. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Black boxes from crashed jet under examination, says govt
Investigators have started analysing data extracted from the black box retrieved from Air India flight 171 to find clues on why the Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after take off from Ahmedabad airport on June 12 , the government said on Thursday. Both black boxes were found within a week of the June 12 crash in Ahmedabad. (REUTERS) A team led by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), the designated authority for air crash investigations in India, extracted both cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder data after the devices were recovered from the crash site and flown to the bureau's lab in Delhi, the government said in a statement. The team, set up according to International Civil Aviation Organisation norms, is led by the Director General of AAIB and includes technical experts from AAIB and the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an aviation medicine specialist and an ATC (air traffic control) officer, the government said. The statement indicates a crucial break in the investigation. Investigators typically face lengthy delays in air crash probes when damaged black boxes must be sent to original equipment manufacturers for extracting the data. The Boeing 787 has two black boxes, one at each end of the aircraft, for redundancy. Each black box, which is in fact coloured bright orange, in a 787 contains what is known as the enhanced airborne data recorder (EADR) that includes the flight data recorder (FDR) and the cockpit voice recorder (CVR). One set was recovered from a rooftop of a building at the crash site on June 13 and the other from the wreckage on June 16 and kept under police protection and CCTV surveillance. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft crashed into a medical college complex in nearby Meghaninagar and burst into flames, killing 241 of the 242 passengers and crew on board and at least 19 more in the vicinity. The tail of the aircraft that was lodged on the roof of the mess of the residential wing of the medical college and other debris strewn over the site are being moving to a building on the airport premises. '..The black boxes were brought from Ahmedabad to Delhi by IAF aircraft with full security on 24 June, 2025. The front black box arrived at AAIB Lab, Delhi with the DG (director general) of AAIB at 1400 hrs on 24 June, 2025,' the statement said. 'The rear black box was brought by a second AAIB team and reached AAIB Lab, Delhi at 1715 hrs on 24 June,' it added. Efforts to extract data began the same evening. 'The Crash Protection Module (CPM) from the front black box was safely retrieved, and on 25 June, 2025, the memory module was successfully accessed and its data downloaded at the AAIB lab,' the statement read. The analysis of cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder data, the government said, aims to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the accident and identify contributing factors to enhance aviation safety and prevent future occurrences. India, as a signatory to the (ICAO) Chicago Convention (1944), investigates aircraft accidents in accordance with ICAO Annex 13 and the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017. 'All actions have been taken in full compliance with domestic laws and international obligations in a time bound manner,' the government said.
The Hindu
7 hours ago
- The Hindu
Power, perception, precision: notes from covering a plane crash
Some assignments outlast deadlines. The recent Air India crash is one such incident. It will remain etched in my memory not only because of the scale of the tragedy — nothing prepares anyone to see an accident site of that magnitude, with so many grieving families — but for other reasons as well. On the afternoon of June 12, when the Air India flight bound for London crashed into a medical college shortly after take off in Ahmedabad, I was assigned to cover the incident. In this age of technology, where reporters are expected to provide updates in real time, our most vital organ is not the pen and notepad, but the mobile phone. Whether we are covering political rallies, protests, natural disasters, or accidents, we are perpetually tethered to our devices. We use them to mail stories, shoot videos, click photographs, make dozens of calls, and coordinate with the newsroom. As our biggest fear is that our phone battery will die, every one of us has a power bank. This has become as essential as a press card. Many journalists carry multiple backups and some even lug around the monstrous 50,000 mAh power bricks that resemble mini-inverters. Our phones are our lifelines. I went to the accident site prepared, with a bag full of devices. Yet during the long hours at the crash site and at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, where bodies were brought in for identification and autopsy, I didn't use my power bank. This wasn't because there wasn't work. My phone battery dwindled in sync with my energy reserves. Yet somehow, I managed. This is because help came from an unexpected source: the extension boards scattered across the hospital premises. They were not there specifically for journalists, but for everyone gathered there: grieving family members, tireless volunteers, and reporters. The extension boards gave everyone a moment to recharge literally and figuratively. There were people everywhere offering help in different ways. Volunteers from various Hindu organisations, including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the Vishva Hindu Parishad, and local NGOs, along with a few Muslim groups, ensured that food, buttermilk, cold drinks, and glucose-infused water were being supplied at the hospital round the clock. One scorching afternoon, while I was outside the morgue, a man tapped my shoulder and insisted that I drink glucose water. That small gesture and many others like it revealed the depth of the coordinated relief effort. The premises were always kept clean. Every time someone drank buttermilk or water and leaned to place the empty bottle aside, or looked around for a trash can, housekeeping staff would appear out of nowhere to clear it. Within minutes, every piece of waste was disposed of, no matter how crowded or chaotic the space and the situation. In short, the worst aviation tragedy in recent times in India was being handled on the ground with precision and thought. In retrospect, I realised that this was not surprising. The crash had made international headlines. Dozens of reporters from national and foreign media had flown into the politically significant State of Gujarat, which has been governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party for decades and is the home turf of both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Any photograph or short video clip of a stray bottle or pile of trash left unattended in one of Asia's largest public hospitals could have easily gone viral. Apparently, even a stray bottle risked becoming a political statement. And that, it seemed, was not a risk anyone was willing to take. What stayed with me was not just the sorrow of the families, but also the manner in which the tragedy was handled. Even amid the grief, the quiet control being exercised was unmistakable.
