A number of measures are to be implemented to discourage the presence of birds in the Timehri/Soesdyke areas, following Tuesday’s bird strike at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) which affected an outgoing Caribbean Airlines flight.
The measures to be implemented were agreed yesterday during a meeting Transport and Hydraulics Minister Robeson Benn had with stakeholders in the livestock industry. Representatives from the CJIA Corporation, Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, Ministry of Public Works and Communications, Poultry Producers Association, the Livestock Development Authority and the Environmental Protection Agency, all attended the meeting, a release from the CJIA said.
At the meeting, “the implications to the safety of aircraft operations by the presence of birds around the airport and in aircraft flight paths were addressed and it was agreed that a number of measures will be implemented to discourage the presence of birds in the Timehri/Soesdyke areas,” the release said.
“The measures include sensitization of livestock farmers on the dangers and impact of bird strikes and mitigating actions that can be taken to prevent birds within close proximity of the airport,” the release said. Another proposal was to dispose of waste materials in an environmentally friendly and safe manner, the release said. A cull of the birds is also being contemplated, the release said.
Minutes after departing the CJIA, Caribbean Airlines flight 662 was forced to return following a bird strike. According to Minister Benn, the bird-strike occurred at an altitude of 3,000 feet impacting the left engine of the aircraft. Captain Richard Law and co-pilot Michael Abraham made the decision to return to the CJIA for an emergency landing. There were no injuries to the 152 passengers and 6 crew members on board. This incident is said to be the first of its kind to have affected a large commercial jet liner in Guyana.
