We've raised the issue, and concern about the possibility of birdstrike around London City Airport in the past questioning what makes for greater risk and whether required considerations were being actively put into practice.
However this time the already beleagured British Airways A318 London City Airport to New York Service experienced multiple bird strike on the other side of the Atlantic. Reports indicate that the bird strike was serious enough to force the BA A318 back to JFK. The incident was such that it even forced a cancellation of the flight rotation.
It is hard not to question how multiple bird strike on take off from LCY would be dealt with - and we have always found that to be a serious issue of concern considering that the airport is situated in the middle of the most densely populated area of the country. The airports' proximity to the river, docks, sewage works and waste plants all mean it is in an area with large concentrations of those birds most at risk: gulls, swans, herons and geese. The airport has even admitted in response to a Newham residents complaint about the noise from bird scaring activities that it was due to 'an over concentration of gulls'. Well fancy that, a lot of gulls being by the river! Why not add to that the lapwings that are in groups of 30+ that regularly 'visit' the sky above the airport, the geese, and the swans. Bird scaring activities are active on the runway, but they are not on low level approach and take off.
Airports and airlines might not like to discuss such possibilities, and make claims that there are few incidents - but the fact remains they DO happen and residents have the right to make informed opinions about such matters by being provided with the facts.
The full article beneath is from the Aviation Herald:
Incident: British Airways A318 at New York on Oct 14th 2009, multiple bird strikes
A British Airways Airbus A318-100, registration G-EUNB performing flight BA-4 from New York JFK,NY (USA) to London City,EN (UK), had departed JFK's runway 22R and was climbing to 11000 feet on eastward radar vectors, when the airplane experienced multiple bird strikes. The crew levelled off at 11000 feet and entered a holding for troubleshooting and burning off fuel, then decided to return to JFK, where the airplane landed safely on runway 22L about 60 minutes after departure.The rotation BA-1/2 had to be cancelled on Oct 15th as a result.
You can see the flights' movements here:
However this time the already beleagured British Airways A318 London City Airport to New York Service experienced multiple bird strike on the other side of the Atlantic. Reports indicate that the bird strike was serious enough to force the BA A318 back to JFK. The incident was such that it even forced a cancellation of the flight rotation.
It is hard not to question how multiple bird strike on take off from LCY would be dealt with - and we have always found that to be a serious issue of concern considering that the airport is situated in the middle of the most densely populated area of the country. The airports' proximity to the river, docks, sewage works and waste plants all mean it is in an area with large concentrations of those birds most at risk: gulls, swans, herons and geese. The airport has even admitted in response to a Newham residents complaint about the noise from bird scaring activities that it was due to 'an over concentration of gulls'. Well fancy that, a lot of gulls being by the river! Why not add to that the lapwings that are in groups of 30+ that regularly 'visit' the sky above the airport, the geese, and the swans. Bird scaring activities are active on the runway, but they are not on low level approach and take off.
Airports and airlines might not like to discuss such possibilities, and make claims that there are few incidents - but the fact remains they DO happen and residents have the right to make informed opinions about such matters by being provided with the facts.
The full article beneath is from the Aviation Herald:
Incident: British Airways A318 at New York on Oct 14th 2009, multiple bird strikes
A British Airways Airbus A318-100, registration G-EUNB performing flight BA-4 from New York JFK,NY (USA) to London City,EN (UK), had departed JFK's runway 22R and was climbing to 11000 feet on eastward radar vectors, when the airplane experienced multiple bird strikes. The crew levelled off at 11000 feet and entered a holding for troubleshooting and burning off fuel, then decided to return to JFK, where the airplane landed safely on runway 22L about 60 minutes after departure.The rotation BA-1/2 had to be cancelled on Oct 15th as a result.
You can see the flights' movements here:
