Málaga airport puts falcons on flight patrol

Birds, and especially falcons, can be a threat to the safety of flights taking off and landing at Málaga airport. However, the airport’s wildlife committee has an effective solution; a falcon patrol.

The falconry team maintains a group of these high-speed birds of prey to prevent a build up of other birds around the runways and approach routes. The airport is preparing for the high season, when the level of flights to and from the airport will steadily increase to reach a high during the peak months and the falcons are just one of the meticulous safety precautions put in place for travellers’ protection.

The wildlife committee consists of local council representatives from Málaga, Alhaurin de la Torre, Torremolinos and Cártama, alongside representatives from the provincial government, the Junta de Andalucía’s department of the environment, members of AENA, the airport authority and the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority.

The committee has to consider such questions as how to prevent unauthorised landfill sites in the Guadalhorce valley around the airport that attract flocks of birds. Pigeon coups are another problem for the airport authorities, as are ponds, pools and other bodies of water that birds gather around.

In addition to these issues, Málaga is located on a bird migration route between Europe and Africa, and both the weather and abundance of food in the area make it a popular stopover for birds. The committee has formulated plans to study the bird population in the Guadalhorce valley and plot their movements. As the AENA representatives emphasised, it is important for them to work with local government and reduce the numbers of birds around the airport, which is of vital importance to the economy of the region.

Currently, the falconers train their birds to provide a 24-hour service. The falcons cover a variety of areas around the airport to warn other birds that this is a zone under their control. Next time you are at Málaga airport, you might just manage to spot one of its falcons out on flight patrol, keeping the skies around the airport safe for human flyers.

 

 

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