An exhibition has been held at Alicante-Elche Airport to highlight how they are protecting aircraft from bird strikes using nature´s own resources.
According to the information presented at the exhibition, “Each year there are about 14,000 bird-on-plane strikes at airports around the world”, and to prevent that happening they are using falcons to prevent birds from causing accidents.
David Santacreu Fernández, falconer and collaborating professor at the Miguel Hernández University of Elche, is the promoter of this exhibition. In 2018 he began his collaboration with Alicante-Elche Airport to value the role of falcons in aerodromes, coinciding with the five decades since this method began to be applied in Spain.
Baharí is the name given to the operation with which falconry was established in 1968, he explains. At that time, they were especially concerned about the problems generated by the bustards and little bustards. As these were steppes, they were very common in the centre of the country and in airports, says Santacreu Fernández. “Their impacts caused great damage so their usual predator was sought: the falcon.”
“Falconry is a historical legacy and a cultural heritage that has survived to this day and has allowed man to get closer to one of the wildest creatures in nature”. And that is done “as equals”, remarks Santacreu Fernández who values that “the nobility of falconry is based on the mutual respect that man must have towards the animal and the animal towards man”.
Alicante-Elche Airport is one of those that currently maintains the system that was opened five decades ago and is now contracted as an external service through public tenders. Here, there is a team of three people who help each other with half a dozen birds. In larger airports, such as Adolfo Suárez in Madrid, they need more to cover more surface.
When the control tower observes the presence of birds on the runway, the falconer is contacted. From there they are in charge of taking the falcon to fly in the area and thus clear the runway in the critical landing and take-off manoeuvres.
