Pune: Black kites, along with nearly 20 other species of birds, have emerged as a persistent threat to flying operations at the Pune Air Force Station, with bird activity in and around the runway forcing authorities to adopt multiple measures to prevent potentially catastrophic bird-hit incidents.Indian Air Force (IAF) officials said environmental factors, particularly water bodies and garbage dumping sites in the vicinity of the station, have contributed significantly to the concentration of birds around the airfield. The problem becomes particularly acute after the monsoon, when insects and other food sources become abundant in open areas, including those around the runway.“Black kites are the most dangerous for us as they can fly up to 1km in the air. Their presence over the station has given a tough time to pilots on multiple occasions,” a senior IAF officer told TOI.“After rainfall, they gather in large numbers as they get insects and other food in the open areas of the runway and outside the station also, which is spread over acres,” the officer added.Officials also said black kites are difficult to disperse as they do not easily respond to conventional sound-based bird-scaring mechanisms. Their flight behaviour and ability to soar at considerable heights also make them a hazard to aircraft operating from the station.“Black kites do not get scared by sound. They move away when they naturally sense or spot food on the ground. On some occasions, we even tried to scare them away using drones, but it was not effective,” another IAF officer said.The risk becomes higher when birds come into the flight path of fast-moving fighter aircraft. A Sukhoi-30MKI can fly at speeds of around 700 kmph during certain phases of operation, and a collision with a large bird such as a black kite could cause serious damage to the aircraft.“They fly high and are big in size. If they hit a fighter jet flying at 700 kmph, the impact would be huge and could be catastrophic,” the officer said.IAF has strengthened its surveillance and mitigation mechanism to address the problem. Headquarters in Delhi has a dedicated ornithology cell, whose experts regularly survey airfields and study bird activity. Their assessments are shared with individual stations to help authorities identify high-risk areas and take preventive measures.Besides black kites, the ornithological surveys at Pune have identified species such as rock pigeons, black-shouldered kites and rose-ringed parakeets among the birds posing a potential threat to aircraft operations.“We have various measures to scare them away, such as mobile scarers, noise-making mechanisms and deterrent guns, among other things, to keep our flying zone safe,” another IAF officer said.However, officials said measures within the airfield alone cannot permanently resolve the problem because several factors attracting birds originate outside the station premises. Large garbage dumping sites and waterbodies in the vicinity provide birds with food and shelter, resulting in increased bird movement towards the airfield. IAF has consequently been engaging with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to address the issue at its source.“We are in contact with PMC and conduct meetings with them to address the garbage issue effectively. There has been active collection from their side, but the problem is not resolved yet,” a senior Air Force Station officer told TOI, refusing to be named.IAF officials also visit garbage dumping locations in PMC areas nearby and hold discussions with civic authorities to devise strategies to reduce bird activity around the station.The issue assumes greater significance since the airfield handles both military and civil flying operations. Pune Air Force Station manages flying operations at Pune airport, including regular fighter aircraft activity, while the airport has witnessed a significant increase in civilian air traffic.According to civil aviation ministry records, Pune airport reported 32 bird-hit incidents in 2025, compared with 39 incidents in 2024, highlighting the continuing challenge posed by bird activity around the airport.IAF officials said bird sightings and activity in the flight path have, on some occasions, forced authorities to temporarily suspend aircraft movements as a precautionary measure. “There have been instances when we had to halt the landing of aircraft and civil flights for about an hour when we spotted birds in the path of aircraft or over the runway. Since air operations are our responsibility, we have to give safety priority. We need multiple-pronged efforts even outside the station,” the officer said.Authorities are focusing on a combination of airfield-level bird deterrence, regular ornithological surveys and intervention outside the air station, particularly around garbage disposal and waterbodies.
