-KATHMANDU
It’s an astounding to encounter street dogs roaming inside the airport sensitivity areas, invariably dimming the airport’ standard, further likely to impact runway incursion as in past it has been witness such incidents.
Since, 2000 the country’s only international airport, Tribhvan International Airport (TIA) have been facing with the same problem; numerous runway incursions long-plaguing the safety of the airport, dogs have again been seen in the runway, terminal building and ramp premises roaming around haphazardly.
“The TIA now has a five-member hunter squad being active round the clock only at the airside areas,” an airport official said.
Dogs to roam around the airport premises is the crucial, like a park, and the high possibility of an aircraft collision with rise in potential threat of Non Avian Wildlife Hazards to Aircraft (exclusively mammals). This is also directly proportional on increment rate of animal runway incursion in TIA, which for our concerned authorities has not yet been wake-up call on safety issue apparently, as they have not been actively monitoring and working on such significant process.
The continued presence of such animals has always challenged the safety of passengers, aviation personnel and the aircraft running on the airport. The multi-faceted threat due to runway incursions poses safety of many aviation users and not much effort to diminish these menacing incidences has been done by CAAN.
Animals on the runway have always been a particularly persistent problem at many airports around the world and protecting the runway has always been an important duty for the airport ground staffs.
The huge forest belonging to Pashupati Devlopment Trust towards the western part near the domestic apron, farm and dumping site beside the runway (RWY-02) of the airport had played the vital role in acting as a bridge for the presence of monkey, dogs and birds inside the aerodrome and hub for them for the shelter. Monkey and dogs sometimes not only run towards the runway and apron but also damage the aircraft parts along with the Foreign Object Damage (FOD) threat. TIA which induces huge parking fare with the airline providing service domestically or internationally is compromising the security essentials to aircraft parked at the apron.
Too much risk is taken regarding aviation safety in Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA). The concern authority needs to analyze the risks and concerns for the accidents occurring and also to find out the reasons along with implementing safety into flights and airports.
Tribhuvan International Airport has gained global notoriety for being one of the worst airports in the world. The airport is facilitated with just one 3,050 metre runway. For the past few years, it has been hamstrung by countless administrative issues and infrastructural bottlenecks.
