When animals at the airport are a good thing

Animals are often seen as a threat at airports, but that is changing.

In fact, animals have become an important part of the aviation industry in recent years, helping ensure the safety of both wildlife and airports around the world, according to Vygaudas Ušackas, a member of the board of directors at Avia Solutions Group, a global consulting company that specializes in providing solutions to airports and airlines.

He noted that there is increasing “cooperation” between domesticated and wild animals and airports around the world.

Falcons To The Rescue

According to Ušackas, a great example of this cooperation has been the employment of hawks at several airports to keep the takeoff and landing airspace clear of smaller birds.

Bird strikes have long been a problem for aviation. For instance, in the United States, the most recent FAA and U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services report shows 11,605 wildlife strikes were reported in 2020. While a big number, that’s a 33% drop from the record 17,359 strikes reported in 2019. The huge drop was related directly to less flying during the pandemic, according to FAA officials.

Many methods that have been used to scare birds off airport grounds were seen as unethical, which led to the use of falcons at Wroclaw Airport in Poland, he noted.

“As birds of prey, they circle around the airport’s territory and naturally repel any smaller birds that could fall into its talons,” explains Ušackas. “The smaller birds avoid flying anywhere near where the falcon’s hunting grounds are. This way, falcons ensure the safety of the runways at airports.”

Honeybees: From Nuisance to Air Quality Officers

Another type of winged creature that can now be found at airports are honeybees.

Over the years, bees have surprisingly caused quite a ruckus at several airports in Europe and North America, Ušackas said. For example, at Pittsburgh International Airport (KPIT) in Pennsylvania, a swarm of thousands of bees grounded an aircraft for hours, interrupting refueling and baggage loading.

Such disruptions, caused by traveling swarms of honeybees looking for a new home, have launched many projects at airports that not only provide apiaries for the bees, but also assist in monitoring air quality.

By housing honeybees on an airport, scientists can measure the level of toxins, heavy metals, and hydrocarbons in the collected honey, which helps to track emissions and carbon footprint, Ušackas explains.

Goats Are The New Landscaping and Maintenance Crew

While overgrown lawns might not seem like a big threat at airports, it still invites trouble. Unkempt landscape brings more insects that, in turn, attract small birds. That makes maintaining the landscape around an airport an important factors in reducing possible bird strikes.

However, using heavy machinery and herbicides can affect the environment, Ušackas noted. Looking for more eco-friendly ways to deal with landscape maintenance, several airports, like Chicago O’Hare International Airport (KORD), have herds of barn animals, such as goats and sheep, to “mow” the grass.

“The O’Hare Airport is a great example of how airports are ditching herbicides and noisy machinery, instead employing goats and sheep to mow the grass in a sustainable way,” he said. “They also help to mow areas that are hard to reach by machines or (where) the vegetation is especially thick — it’s a perfect alternative for harmful chemicals.”

However, at some airports goats and sheep can fall prey to coyotes and dangerous snakes, so those airports also have herds of llamas or donkeys to act as bodyguards for the grass-eaters, Ušackas reported.