Airport officials to carry out animal audits

Written by Gift Phiri

Friday, 06 November 2009 10:45

HARARE – After a plane collided with warthogs, dangerously skidding off the runway before coming to an emergency stop, authorities have decided to conduct animal audits at airports across the country for the first time in more than decade. (Pictured: An Air Zimbabwe MA 60 plane of the type that was involved in last week’s collision with warthogs)

The audits will be carried out at airports in, Harare, Bulawayo, Victoria Falls, Masvingo and Buffalo Range after a reported increase in animal activity around the country’s airfields that had apparently gone unnoticed until last Tuesday when an Air Zimbabwe plane had a miraculous escape after hitting four warthogs at Harare International airport.
The Chinese-made MA60 aircraft hit the warthog while taxiing along the runway minutes after the departure of Joseph Kabila, the Democratic Republic of the Congo leader who was in Harare for talks with Zimbabwe's unity government.
The plane that was bound for Bulawayo veered off the runway and came to rest with one main gear strut collapsed after applying emergency brakes, officials said.
Luckily, all the 34 passengers and four cabin crew were not injured and were evacuated safely, but amid pandemonium in the plane.
Officials of the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe, Harare International airport, environment and urban management experts will form a committee to jointly conduct the audit, according to Transport minister Nicholas Goche.
"This audit will help in guiding environment management committees, which are supposed to ensure that airport surroundings are secured, clean and do not to attract animals," Goche said. "Government will like to assure the travelling public about Air Zim's commitment to maintaining its flawless safety record."
The last study of animal activity around airports that mainly focused on birds was done in the late 1990s.
"No study has been done for the Harare Airport in the last decade," said a senior airport official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The audit needs to study animal and bird flying patterns and bring out particular details like their population, flock strength and above all, find a solution to the problem," he said.
He said there was need to deploy safety measures like installing equipment that can detect animal activity in the runway area. Besides warthogs, there was also a bird problem at the airport, he said.
"The accident with warthogs, which I must say is very rare in aviation, is evident that the safety arrangements must improve," he added.
Air Zimbabwe CEO, Peter Chikumba said civic officials and residents were to be equally blamed for the mess around the airports and the vandalism of security fences that enabled animals to dangerously stray onto the runway.
"It is fortunate that all the 34 passengers and cabin crew are all safe and no one was injured," Chikumba said, adding the security fence vandalism and mess around the airport was attracting animals.
Accidents at the country’s airports are rare while Air Zimbabwe has a relatively good safety record although a shortage of funds to buy new planes and equipment has compromised standards at the airline.

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