A third of aircraft incidents involve collisions with birds

In 2025, about 30% of the total amount of aircraft insurance payments accounted for losses related to aircraft collisions with birds. This was reported to Izvestia on April 10 by the insurance company "Consent".

The largest such incident in the company's practice was the collision of an Airbus A320 aircraft with a marsh harrier, the insurance indemnity for which amounted to 10.4 million rubles. In total, the company settled losses related to ornithological accidents for aircraft of various models, including the Airbus A320, A321, Boeing 737 and Sukhoi Superjet 100.

"Aircraft collisions with birds are a high—risk but common factor in global civil aviation. It is impossible to completely eliminate the possibility of such incidents, but their consequences are minimized. All critical elements of aircraft and engines undergo rigorous tests during certification for compliance with airworthiness standards. For example, when creating cockpit glazing, experiments are conducted on firing glass at bird carcasses with different speed and weight parameters. In engine tests, carcasses are also shot into a working unit to check its operability. A recent example was the testing of the domestic PD-8 engine for a fully localized domestic Superjet 100 aircraft," said Oleg Panteleev, Executive Director of the Aviport agency.

The cost of settling aviation losses has increased significantly, said Alexey Kosentsov, Deputy Director of the Loss Settlement Department for Corporate Insurance at Soglasie.

"This is facilitated by a number of factors: the increasing complexity of logistics and the increasing cost of aviation components, and in some cases, the complete impossibility of repair, which leads to the need for complete replacement of components, such as engines. As a result, even a single collision with a bird can lead to a significant insurance payout," he said.

According to Oleg Panteleev, there are no uniform protection measures yet — birds are getting used to noise and scarecrows. Therefore, Russian airports use an integrated approach, including visual and acoustic deterrence, imitation of birds of prey, and even the use of live predators.

"However, barbaric methods like shooting are unacceptable today. The key is to combat the causes: reducing the food supply by eliminating unauthorized landfills and preventing nesting, for example, by mowing grass. The main task is to make the airport territory unattractive to birds," the aviation expert added.

An Aeroflot flight from Moscow to Baku returned to the departure airport on March 26 after colliding with a bird. It was noted that the commander of flight SU1854 decided to return to the departure airport due to a collision with an animal after takeoff. To comply with the maximum allowable landing weight, the aircraft generated fuel in the waiting area.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.