Lion Group anticipates potential bird strikes to improve safety
All stakeholders in the aviation sector must be actively involved in mitigating bird strike incidents to safeguard flight safety. Tangerang (ANTARA) – Lion Group airlines are anticipating potential bird strikes during Lebaran 2026 to enhance flight safety. CEO Daniel Putut Kuncoro Adi said that improving safety through cross‑sector coordination is based on rising bird strike cases in recent years. He said this should be of concern to all parties because it threatens flight safety. ‘All stakeholders in the aviation sector must be actively involved in mitigating bird strike incidents to safeguard flight safety,’ Daniel said at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, on Friday.
He noted that the upward trend in bird strike incidents has also been a concern for his group. He said he has consistently raised this in the Aviation Sharing Session forums with airline operators and officials at the Ministry of Transportation.
In 2023 there was a sharp increase. Although there was a sharp drop in 2024, that decline appears temporary.
He stated that bird strikes not only pose financial losses to airlines but also pose risks to flight safety. ‘The risk of bird strikes can range from minor damage to the most fatal. We must not let a fatal accident occur,’ he said.
Daniel reminded that Indonesia must not experience another decline in aviation safety reputation as occurred in 2007, when several Indonesian airlines were banned from flying to Europe and the international aviation safety category was downgraded.
Therefore, he invited all aviation stakeholders — from airlines, airport operators, to air navigation service providers — to strengthen coordination in mitigating bird strike risks.
Through collaboration, he said, the three main parties involved are airlines, airports and air navigation service providers such as AirNav Indonesia. For example, airports have facilities to deter birds in operational areas. Meanwhile air traffic controllers (ATC) can provide pilots with information about bird activity around airports.
‘After receiving that information, pilots can anticipate whether to land as usual or divert to an alternative airport,’ he explained.
Daniel also proposed that within the structure of the national airport management company, PT Angkasa Pura Indonesia or InJourney Airports, a post of Director of Safety be established who is specifically responsible for safety oversight. He argued that such a position is important for safety programmes to run in accordance with the Safety Management System (SMS) standards set out in international aviation regulations.
‘In a safety management system, according to Daniel, there must be an accountable safety manager at a fairly high level to oversee other directorates,’ he said.