Bird Strike Prevention in East Africa

The AviAssist Foundation recently completed a four-day wildlife hazard management workshop at Kilimanjaro Airport in Tanzania. The course provided an introduction and refresher to wildlife hazards to aviation. The workshop was oversubscribed with 27 participants from seven countries in the region. “A number of airports in the East African region suffer from a fairly serious bird strike problem. The workshop is part of the Foundation’s efforts campaign to bring best practices within reach of African
aviation professionals in East and Southern Africa” explained AviAssist Director Tom Kok. Two members of the International Bird Strike Committee were prepared to make their expertise available to their colleagues in this region. During the workshop, the Foundation managed to facilitate the start of the East African Interim Wildlife Hazard Management Committee. The Foundation will support the committee as part of its regular mandate. Financial and in kind support of the Netherlands Ministry of Transport, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Precision Air and host Kilimanjaro Airports Development Company made the workshop possible and free to participants other then having to cover their own travel and accommodation cost.  The AviAssist Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization. It provides safety support to African countries and companies. As regional affiliate of the Flight Safety Foundation, it identifies threats to aviation safety, analyzes the problems and works on practical solutions to them. It aims to replicate safety successes from elsewhere on the African continent and beyond. It does so in close coordination with ICAO, stakeholders and safety support providers. More at www.aviassist.org