Flying on the wild side – and how to stay safe

Safety is always a priority for airlines and while technology has made giant strides to aid flights – sometimes just shouting can make a difference.That’s what Airports Editor Chloe Greenback discovered when she looked at how bird-strikes and other wildlife incursions at airfields impact aviation safety.These represent as much as 3% of aircraft safety incidents – and cost the industry more than $1.2 billion annually - with the majority of the challenges being from bird strikes.IN this week’s programme Chloe talks to Cerian Henshaw, Director of Operations at Aviare a wildlife hazard management company working with airports around the world.Africa in particular has a wide variery of wildlife challenges and Cerian is talking from Banjal in The Gambia and shares some of the strategies employed to keep runways safe.Meanwhile MRO editor Chuck Grieve hears from the Independent Aircraft Modifier Alliance – IAMA – which was launched last year to promote uniform standards and visibility in the worldwide retrofit market. It’s focused on modifications carried out under Supplemental Type Certificates, or STCs, which is of particular interest now as airlines face significant pressure on their balance sheets. This, plus all the news from around the Middle Eastern and African aerospace industries.