AAI Chennai Airport has inducted 30 hand-held thunder booms—bird-scaring equipment—and 2 battery-operated tipping carts to enhance airside safety and operational efficiency.
The hand-held thunder booms will help disperse birds and reduce bird-hit risks, ensuring safer aircraft movements while the battery-operated tipping carts boost airside maintenance efficiency by enabling faster, quieter, and more environmentally friendly ground operations, according to a social media post by Chennai Airport.
From January to October 2023, there were 39 bird/animal strikes at the Chennai airport. According to information provided in December 2023 by Minister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation VK Singh, the maximum number of strikes on aeroplanes occurs during the landing and take-off phases.
Every day, Chennai airport handles nearly 480 flight movements. Being close to the forest areas and also the Adyar River, it attracts birds which disrupt the aircraft movement. The thunder booms will be an alternative to traditional bursting of crackers to disperse the birds before an aircraft is ready to take off or lands.