Source: Radio New Zealand
Wellington Airport is taking safety measures for planes following the Moa Point failure. RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
Wellington Airport says it has noticed increased bird activity near its runway this week, and it is taking safety measures for planes following the Moa Point failure.
The sewage plant melted down last week, flooding the building with waste and sending raw sewage into the nearby south coast.
Nearby beaches remained off limits due to tens of millions of litres of screened but untreated sewage flowing out the plant’s 1.8-kilometre outfall pipe each day.
Wellington Airport’s location is very close to Moa Point.
With the risk of bird strike for aircraft in mind, its head of operations, Matthew Palliser, told RNZ they were monitoring the animals.
“We are keeping a close eye on bird activity around the airport and have noticed some increased activity at times this week, but we are always prepared for this.”
Palliser said the airport had regular patrols checking the runway and that they worked closely with the Airways control tower.
“When required, we use a range of tools to scare birds off, including different noises.
“We also have a full-time Wildlife Officer who monitors bird activity.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
