Birdstrikes by aircraft in Australia are on the increase, with the ACT's rate over the past two years among the highest in Australia.
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A report published yesterday by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau says the number of birdstrikes continued to rise in all states, with an average 37 per cent increase last year compared to 2002.
The increase rate in Canberra over the past two years was high, but there were very few birdstrikes in the ACT over the past 10 years. There were 290 in that time including 46 last year and 33 in 2010 (compared with 11 in 2002).
There were 1751 birdstrikes reported to the bureau last year. Most involved high-capacity transport aircraft (such as Boeing 737 and Airbus A320). ''For high capacity aircraft operations, reported birdstrikes have increased from 400 to 980 over the last 10 years of study, and the rate per aircraft movement also increased,'' the report says.
The reason for the increase is not known. Manager research for the bureau Stuart Godley said it was possibly due to better reporting.
The report says it is uncommon a birdstrike causes any harm to aircraft, crew and passengers, but many result in damage to aircraft, and some have resulted in serious consequential events, such as forced landings and high-speed rejected takeoffs. Three injuries to people occurred when birds broke windscreens and entered aircraft.
The birds most commonly struck at Canberra Airport were ducks and galahs.