Stray dogs pose safety risks at Karachi airport

KARACHI: Karachi Airport’s General Aviation hangars are facing a growing issue with stray dogs, raising serious safety concerns for ongoing flight operations, ARY News reported.

According to reports, the area, which hosts training aircraft, has seen multiple incidents where stray dogs came dangerously close to causing accidents.

In a recent incident, a stray dog narrowly avoided colliding with a taxiing aircraft, forcing authorities to cancel the flight due to safety risks.

Reports also indicate stray dogs roaming around Jinnah Terminal’s main runway, adding to the airport’s safety challenges.

Beyond stray animals, debris like metal objects around the hangars creates additional hazards. Aircraft tires often burst due to these obstructions, causing flight delays, cancellations, and financial losses in the millions due to tire replacements and other damages.

Airport officials have been urged to address these pressing issues to ensure the safety of passengers, crew, and aircraft operations.

Back in August 2021, two stray dogs spotted at the runway of the Jinnah International Airport, Karachi were shot dead as a passenger inside a plane apparently filmed the entire episode.

According to details, the presence of stray dogs was confirmed during the take-off of an Islamabad-bound flight from Karachi airport and has exposed the measures taken by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to guard the airport perimeter.

The video was apparently filmed from the window of a plane, showing two stray dogs roaming at the runway as a vehicle of bird shooters approached them.

They were later gunned down by the shooters.

The airport authorities confirmed the incident and said that it was reported on the evening of August 23.

It is pertinent to mention here that multiple alerts have been issued previously over the presence of heaps of garbage near the airport, raising concern that it led to birds striking the planes.