From lapwings to monitor lizards, RGIA reports 442 wildlife strikes in 4 years | Hyderabad News

From lapwings to monitor lizards, RGIA reports 442 wildlife strikes in 4 years

Hyderabad: From red-wattled lapwings and barn swallows to Bengal monitor lizards, bats and black-naped hares, a growing range of wildlife is posing a threat to aircraft at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), with wildlife strikes recording a steady rise over the past three years.According to data obtained by TOI through an RTI application to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), as many as 442 wildlife strikes involving aircraft were reported at RGIA between Jan 2023 and Aug 2026, with annual incidents climbing from 101 in 2023 to 114 in 2024 and 133 in 2025.The growing frequency of such incidents has also raised concerns over their impact on flight operations. Last month, an IndiGo flight from Pune to Hyderabad, carrying over 100 passengers, suffered a bird strike while approaching RGIA. Although the aircraft landed safely, a subsequent inspection revealed minor damage to its nose section, forcing the airline to cancel its onward Hyderabad-Chandigarh service.In Feb this year, another IndiGo flight operating from Jaipur to Hyderabad reportedly suffered a bird strike during landing. The pilot carried out a safe landing upon noticing the impact.The list of wildlife involved goes well beyond birds. Rabbits and different species of bats, including insectivorous and fruit and wild cats, have figured in the strike records. Among identified bird species, red-wattled lapwings topped the list with eight incidents, followed by barn swallows (six), rock pigeons (five), Indian thick-knees (four) and black kites (three).Food accumulation, garbage dumping, landfills and water bodies around the airport have been identified as potential wildlife attractants. Several areas around Shamshabad, including Katedan and Jalpally, continue to witness frequent roadside garbage dumping, particularly by migrant labourers who dispose of waste while heading to construction sites.“Despite repeated instructions to hand over their waste to Swachh auto vehicles, many refuse to do so. The challenge is compounded by the transient nature of the workforce. By the time awareness efforts begin to yield results, many workers move out and a fresh batch of labourers arrives, making it difficult to sustain behavioural change. Meanwhile, the garbage dumping at Raviryal has been brought to a halt over the past few months, after initiating biomining to clear the legacy waste dump,” said an official in GHMC’s sanitation wing.Landing and approach account for over 60% of strikesWhat makes the trend concerning is that aircraft are most vulnerable during landing and approach, when they are closer to the ground. Of the 442 incidents, 276 occurred during landing or approach, while another 164 were reported during take-off or departure. In 2025 alone, 88 of the 133 strikes occurred during landing and approach.The consequences are not limited to bird hits. The data shows that wildlife activity resulted in operational consequences, including go-arounds, air turn-backs, precautionary landings, diversions and delays, in 5.5% of cases in 2025. The figure stood at 6.8% in 2024 and 2.6% up to July 2026.Airport adopts multiple wildlife-control measuresTo contain the threat, RGIA has adopted several wildlife hazard management measures aimed at reducing the presence of birds and animals around aircraft movement areas. These include installing a habitat fragmenter to discourage waterbirds from congregating near flight paths, using black-light traps to reduce nocturnal insects that attract birds and bats, and managing vegetation along approach paths to minimise shelter and nesting opportunities for wildlife.“Nylon-net fencing has been installed at vulnerable locations to restrict the movement of rabbits and other terrestrial animals into operational areas. The airport has also undertaken garbage-hotspot mitigation to reduce food sources for scavenging birds. Other initiatives include software-based wildlife surveillance to identify hotspots,” said an official in DGCA.