Preventive wildlife strike strategy implemented at the airports operated by Fraport Greece during the COVID-19 pandemic

Preventive wildlife strike strategy implemented at the airports operated by Fraport Greece during the COVID-19 pandemic

Dionysios Ntampakis
Wildlife Hazard Manager
Fraport Greece
Fraport, Greece Ziridi 10, Germanikis Scholis 10
Marousi Attiki, Greece  15123
0030 (698) 505-3832
d.ntampakis@fraport-greece.com

Abstract: Any collision between wildlife (including birds) with an aircraft is known as a wildlife strike. Most of the time such a strike has no operational impact but occasionally it could result in delays because of a technical check or even cause damage to aircraft. The COVID-19 pandemic severely affected Europe’s transport sector. Air connectivity collapsed worldwide and the demand on the airports operated by Fraport Greece (FG) decreased significantly during the pandemic years (2020–21). With less air traffic and more stayhome orders, a variety of bird species were attracted to the green, quieter areas of the airports. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued warnings concerning the increased presence of wildlife hazards in European airports. This case study aims to communicate to the aviation industry the wildlife strike prevention strategy implemented at the airports operated by FG during the pandemic years. The fundamentals of wildlife management, airport ecology, flight safety and sustainability are presented in a structured way to provide the reader with many relevant messages. The management implications,  together with the best practices of this preventive wildlife strike strategy, are discussed for their possible wider use in the aviation industry. 

Dionysios Ntampakis

Dionysios Ntampakis is a highly motivated professional specialising in wildlife surveys, training, wildlife strike risk assessment, wildlife hazard management programmes and biodiversity conservation. Dionysios holds a Master of Science in Wildlife Management, Conservation and Control (University of Reading, UK) and a Master’s in Aviation Management (TH Wildau, Berlin, Germany). He has more than 15 years’ experience in conflict mediation between wildlife and aviation safety.

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