Bird-Hit Incidents At Indian Airports Rise Sharply To 1,782 In 2025, Parliament Reply Reveals

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tracking No.: SMF/PR/2026/03/10-01

Subhead: New Lok Sabha data reinforces concerns raised in a Safety Matters Foundation opinion article on the off-airport urban and ecological factors fueling India’s bird-strike risk.

Gurugram, India — 10 Mar, 2026 — Confirmed bird-hit incidents at Indian airports rose to 1,782 in 2025, up sharply from 775 in 2021, according to a recent reply in the Lok Sabha by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The data highlights a worsening wildlife-hazard trend and strengthens concerns that India’s bird-strike problem cannot be solved through airport-side measures alone.

The figures were provided in response to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2267, answered on 12 February 2026 by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Shri Murlidhar Mohol. The official record shows 775 incidents in 2021, 1,131 in 2022, 1,371 in 2023, 1,278 in 2024, and 1,782 in 2025, revealing a sharp overall rise over the five-year period. These findings align with concerns discussed in the recent Safety Matters Foundation opinion article, “Beyond the Aviation Fence: The Urban Rot Fueling India’s Bird Strike Epidemic,” published on 10 March 2026.

“The rise in bird-hit incidents is not merely an operational statistic. It is a visible sign that ecological attractants around airports are still not being controlled with sufficient urgency,” said Capt. Amit Singh, Founder, Safety Matters Foundation. “When open waste, slaughter residue, stagnant water, and poor land-use discipline persist outside the airport perimeter, wildlife-hazard management inside the fence can only do so much.”

According to the parliamentary reply, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued regulations and guidelines for managing wildlife hazards at licensed airports. Aerodrome operators have prepared Wildlife Hazard Management Plans (WHMPs), adopted procedures to identify the causes of bird-hit incidents, and deployed mitigation measures including bird-detection and deterrence technologies. The Government has also stated that Airfield Environment Management Committees (AEMCs) have been constituted to identify hazard sources and recommend corrective action.

Yet the continued rise in bird-hit incidents raises a deeper policy concern: whether root causes outside the airport boundary are being addressed with the same seriousness as internal compliance procedures. As argued in Safety Matters Foundation’s opinion article, bird strikes are often the final manifestation of broader failures in civic governance, including poor urban planning, weak municipal enforcement, unmanaged waste, and ecological neglect beyond the aerodrome perimeter.

A previous parliamentary reply had already highlighted that Rule 91 of the Aircraft Rules, 1937 prohibits dumping of garbage and slaughtering of animals likely to attract birds within 10 km of an aerodrome reference point. It also noted that the greatest number of wildlife strikes occur during take-off and landing, when aircraft are most vulnerable. In Delhi, confirmed wildlife strikes were reported at 96 in 2021, 184 in 2022, and 169 up to 31 October 2023, underscoring the persistence of the hazard in a dense urban setting.

Key Figures From The Lok Sabha Reply

• 2021: 775 confirmed bird-hit incidents
• 2022: 1,131
• 2023: 1,371
• 2024: 1,278
• 2025: 1,782

“The lesson is clear: wildlife hazard mitigation cannot succeed through airside action alone,” added Capt. Amit Singh. “Bird dispersal, deterrent technologies, and falconry may help at the operational edge, but they cannot compensate for poor waste control, habitat degradation, and weak enforcement outside the fence.”

Safety Matters Foundation is calling for stronger implementation of airport influence-zone safeguards, better coordination between aviation authorities and urban local bodies, and transparent accountability for reducing ecological attractants around airports. The full opinion article, “Beyond the Aviation Fence: The Urban Rot Fueling India’s Bird Strike Epidemic,” is available at www.safetymatters.co.in.

ABOUT SAFETY MATTERS FOUNDATION
Safety Matters Foundation is an India-based public-interest initiative focused on aviation safety, regulatory awareness, and risk reduction through research, advocacy, and public communication. The organisation works to highlight systemic safety issues and promote practical, accountable solutions across the aviation ecosystem.
URL: www.safetymatters.co.in

MEDIA CONTACT:
Capt. Amit Singh
Founder, Safety Matters Foundation
Phone: ++919899399776
Email: admin@safetymatters.co.in
Website: www.safetymatters.co.in
X: @flyingamit, @safetymatters6

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