Bird strike risk evaluation at airports

Abstract

Purpose

Bird strike risk (BSR) evaluation is a significant part of the avian radar system worldwide installed and operated at airports. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper proposed a method using the real-time avian radar data to evaluate BSR with the estimations of bird strike probability and severity. The probability estimation model considered the attributes of the relative positions of the flock and the runway, the altitude of the flock and the aircraft, the flight path of the aircraft, and the ability of the bird species to avoid collision. The severity was estimated by the combination of the Delphi method and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), called DAHP, which took full advantage of the expert knowledge and quantitative calculation.

Findings

The model was tested successfully on the simulated data at Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA) with three runways and real data at Beihai Fucheng Airport (BFA) with one runway.

Practical implications

The BSR evaluation model was specifically designed for the airports with avian radars. It enabled the airport managers to objectively evaluate the risk in real time and to take effective measures.

Originality/value

The proposed BSR evaluation model was constructed with the real-time features of birds and aircraft based on the DAHP framework, providing scientific guidance for aviation safety and environmental management at the airport.

Citation

Ning, H. and Chen, W. (2014), "Bird strike risk evaluation at airports", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 86 No. 2, pp. 129-137. https://doi.org/10.1108/AEAT-07-2012-0111