Bird Strike Risk in India
Bird strikes are a significant and growing aviation safety concern in India. Annual incidents rose from 775 in 2021 to a record 1,782 in 2025, with 6,337 confirmed bird strikes over the five-year period.[^c15] Mumbai recorded the highest number of bird strikes over 2019–2024 (943 incidents), followed by Delhi and Ahmedabad.[^c17] For detailed statistics, see [[incidents/bird-strike-statistics-and-trends]]; for the regulatory framework, see [[regulations/dgca-bird-strike-directives]] and [[regulations/rule-91-10-kilometre-restriction-zone]]; for airport-level programs, see [[airports/major-airport-programs]]; and for the June 2025 AI-171 crash investigation, see [[incidents/ai-171]].
The ecological drivers of bird strike risk are closely tied to [[technologies/waste-management|urban waste management]]. [[ecology/black-kite|Black kites]], which account for 62% of damaging strikes, thrive on food scraps from open landfills and ritual feeding practices.[^c3] India sits along the [[ecology/central-asian-flyway|Central Asian Flyway]], a major migratory route, and generates over 1,60,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste daily, creating persistent feeding grounds near airports.[^c4][^c5] The regulatory framework is centred on the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, which mandates Wildlife Hazard Management Plans at all licensed airports, prohibits bird-attracting activities within 10 kilometres of aerodromes under [[regulations/rule-91-10-kilometre-restriction-zone|Rule 91 of the Aircraft Rules 1937]], and requires monthly reporting of strike data. The Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam 2024 enhanced penalties for violations of the 10-kilometre restriction zone, raising the maximum fine to ₹1 crore and classifying the offence as cognizable.[^c10] Wildlife strikes have been designated as a National High-Risk Category under India's National Aviation Safety Plan 2024–2028.[^c2] A DGCA safety audit at Delhi's IGI Airport in August 2024 found 34 rabbits, 15 dogs, 16 cats, 14 monkeys, 12 monitor lizards, and 2 foxes within the airside area.[^c14] In March 2026, an eagle on the Delhi runway forced two incoming aircraft to execute go-arounds.[^c16]
The first meeting of the National Wildlife Hazard Management Committee was convened at DGCA headquarters in 2025, chaired by Director General Faiz Ahmed Kidwai. The committee identified that bird species were identified in only 24% of strike incidents — a critical data gap that the DGCA addressed through a revised reporting form mandating detailed species identification. In military aviation, the Indian Air Force has achieved over 80% species identification through sustained application of DNA barcoding technology, having accounted for 1 million birds across 18 airfields.[^c18][^c19] The IAF has also formed a dedicated task force for bird hazard management at the shared civil-military Pune Airport, deploying high-decibel zone guns and regular patrols.[^c21]
Post-crash enforcement following the AI-171 incident has intensified nationwide, with municipal corporations in Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Patna, and Jammu issuing waste disposal and meat sale bans, and shutting down bird-feeding sites under DGCA and AAI directives.[^c6][^c8] Indian airports employ a range of detection and deterrent technologies — including avian radar, bioacoustic systems, anti-perching devices, and plant growth regulators for vegetation management — with Ahmedabad, Delhi, and Kolkata airports demonstrating significant strike reductions through integrated programs. Ultrasonic sound systems and advanced sensors have been ordered for deployment at Indore's Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport.[^c12] The Indian Air Force, through its iDEX platform, is seeking an AI-based prediction model for real-time bird-aircraft collision risk at its airfields.[^c13] Thiruvananthapuram International Airport reduced its bird strike rate from 11.11 (2021) to 3.52 (December 2024), exceeding the national safety target of 4.26, through intensive waste management and pyrotechnic programs.[^c11] The upcoming [[airports/major-airport-programs|Navi Mumbai International Airport]] has incorporated wildlife-safe design principles including habitat modification, GPS-based monitoring, and perimeter intrusion detection as a benchmark for greenfield airport safety planning.[^c9]
In April 2026, the Wildlife Institute of India assessed the proposed Shree Jagannath International Airport in Puri near Chilika Lake and recommended that the project be rejected due to catastrophic bird strike risks to aviation and threats to migratory bird populations and Olive Ridley turtles along the Central Asian Flyway, citing the December 2024 Muan Airport disaster in South Korea (179 fatalities) as a precedent for wetland-adjacent aviation hazards.[^c20]
Research institutions such as the [[organizations/bombay-natural-history-society|Bombay Natural History Society]], the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, the [[organizations/research-and-training-institutes|Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology]], and the CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories provide ornithological expertise, DNA-based food-source identification, and bird strike testing capabilities. A 2025 study across seven Indian civil airfields identified the rock pigeon, black kite, and house crow as the highest-risk species using the [[methodology/bird-hazard-value|Bird Hazard Value]] methodology.[^c1] India actively collaborates with the International Civil Aviation Organization's Asia/Pacific Wildlife Hazard Management Working Group and, under the Convention on Migratory Species, established the Initiative for the Central Asian Flyway in 2024, with India offering to host the coordinating unit.[^c7]