DGCA issues guidelines for Pilots, Aircraft Engineers to deal with locust swarms

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) yesterday issued guidelines for stakeholders like pilots and engineers  to deal with locust swarms.

In its circular, the aviation regulator said, locusts pose a threat to aircraft in the critical landing and takeoff phase of a flight. It said, almost all air intake ports of the aircraft will be prone to ingestion in large numbers, if the aircraft flies through a swarm. Pilot and static sources can also get partially or fully blocked while flying through locust swarms. 

The DGCA said that large swarms could also



obstruct visual ground contact over a large area, therefore flights under Visual Flight Rules also need to be aware of their presence. It added that air traffic controllers, when aware of locust presence in the vicinity of their aerodrome, are advised to share the information with all arriving and departing flights.

All pilots are also required to share information of locust swarm location if they have sighted any during the flight. The DGCA said, as far as possible, it is strongly advised that flights should be avoided through any known locust swarm.