We have all heard about the ‘Miracle on the Hudson River’. This was how the media branded the bird strike accident that fortunately ended happily on New York’s Hudson River almost three years ago, largely thanks to the skill and training of the flight crew.

However, bird strikes remain an issue and Helios is currently seeking feedback from the aviation community, and from airports in particular, on a new set of proposed services that might help reduce the risk of bird strikes.

The problem

In civil aviation the major risk from bird strikes is around airports, with approximately 93% of impacts occurring in these environments. The highest number of accidents occurs during take-off phase (48%), followed by approach (30%) and other associated phases (15%). The take-off phase (acceleration and lift-off) is considered to be the most critical phase of flight because the aircraft is more vulnerable to partial or total loss of control if a bird strike does occur. The impact may be further worsened by the relatively high speed and aircraft’s position on or very near the ground with a very limited scope of actions to be taken by pilots.

During the decade from 1999-2008 in total 71 serious bird strike accidents occurred, see graph below. Of these only six led to fatal injuries (four of them during the take-off phase). However, it would be reasonable to assume an increase in fatalities alongside increases in air traffic worldwide.

Number of accidents due to a bird strike worldwide (1999-2008), source EASA

Bird strikes also have an economic impact. The cost of bird strikes to commercial aircraft worldwide has been estimated to be in excess of $1Bn annually. Direct damage accounts for only 12% of the overall costs associated with bird strikes. The rest is down to the financial impacts of delays and cancellations. For more detailed information see The Development of Birdstrike Risk Assessment Procedures, Their Use on Airports, and the Potential Benefits to the Aviation Industry.

About the survey

New satellite-based services have been defined that should help to reduce the risk of bird strikes and that could be implemented in the near-term. Helios is working on behalf of the European Space Agency to capture user requirements, test demand for those new services, and explore their commercial viability.

As part of the wider study, an online survey has been launched, which takes 5-10 minutes to complete, and is open to all aviation stakeholders.

We encourage all stakeholders with an interest in bird strike reduction to complete the survey. Your answers will help us understand the needs of the aviation market and the level of demand for these new services.

Take part in the survey now.

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