India, Aug. 8 -- The Indian Air Force (IAF) has identified the Black Kite as the biggest bird-related challenge to aviation safety at the Pune airbase and has intensified measures to reduce the risk of bird strikes around the runway.

The airbase, which supports intensive military flying operations alongside civilian traffic at Pune Airport, faces a persistent bird hazard. Pune Airport handles nearly 240 civil flight movements daily, or about 72,000 annually. Officials said open garbage and waste disposal sites around the airfield attract scavenging birds, particularly Black Kites, increasing the risk during aircraft take-off and landing.

To mitigate the threat, the IAF is installing eight bird deterrent modules across the airfield and h...