Vancouver Sun
Glenda Luymes
25 January 2025
B.C.'s coastal geography attracts migratory birds. With bird strikes rising around the world, here's how B.C. airports work to prevent them.
Moving at 165 km/h, moments before it would have lifted off from the runway at Vancouver International Airport, a WestJet plane bound for Calgary hit a bird.
In seconds, the pilot halted takeoff and declared an emergency.
The incident, which happened Nov. 15, was one of dozens of bird strikes at Canadian airports last year, as collisions between aircraft and wildlife appear to be on the rise around the world.
B.C. airports are required to report birds strikes to Transport Canada, but as one expert pointed out, the numbers don’t present an accurate assessment of risk, or the number of birds in proximity to local airports.
Read on: This is how B.C. airports try to prevent dangerous bird strikes | Vancouver Sun
