2025-01-14 10:21

MONTRANS helps to ensure flight safety at Sheremetyevo Airport

Specialists of MONTRANS Group of Companies solved the problem of controlling the location of bird repellent systems at Sheremetyevo Airport.

In the area of airports birds pose a particular threat to airliners. Especially during the migration period. During takeoff and landing of airplanes, both individuals and entire flocks may cross the glide path of the aircraft. As a result of such collisions, the airliner may receive such damage as: broken windows, dents on the fuselage, breakage of turbine blades, which can lead to engine shutdown, and sometimes even two turbines at once.

Collisions of airliners with birds at takeoff and landing are a headache for all airports on the planet. For example, on January 15, 2009, an Airbus A320 taking off from New York collided with a flock of Canadian geese. The birds clogged both turbines, disrupting their operation. The crew made the decision to land on the Hudson River. All 155 passengers were rescued.

Another similar case occurred in Russia in 2019. This incident is also called the “miracle in the cornfield”. Airbus A321 was flying out of the Zhukovsky airport near Moscow. During the ascent, the vessel collided with a flock of seagulls. Both engines lost thrust. The pilots decided to land the plane in a cornfield. Several dozen passengers were injured, but all survived.

Similar incidents occur regularly to this day. For example, on December 5, 2024, an Airbus A320 in China was on a flight from Chengdu to Xiamen. During landing, a flock crashed into the airplane. During the inspection, specialists found minor damage to the hull, and after a few hours the ship left on the return flight. And on the same day in Brazil, a vulture with prey in its beak broke through the windshield of an airplane with passengers on board. The bird partially blocked the pilot's view, but the airliner still managed to land without losses.

To reduce the likelihood of airplanes colliding with wildlife, airports use defenses such as bird repellers. These bioacoustic systems mimic the cries of raptors or emit loud pops. For flight safety officers, it is important to see online where the repeller is located and what its battery charge is. These tasks are performed by the MONTRANS satellite navigation terminal. A sim-card is inserted into the device, with the help of which all the data is transmitted to the ornithological flight support department.

Olga Volokova, Project Manager of the Group of Companies “MONTRANS”: “Within the framework of long-standing cooperation with ‘Sheremetyevo International Airport’ company ‘MONTRANS’ together with the Department of ornithological support of flights and the Directorate of IT systems of production management of ‘MASCH’ in December 2024 equipped 75 installations for bird repellent with terminals Montrans M-1. GPS/GLONASS tracker determines the location of the object and its movement. In addition, the terminal reads data from other sensors or devices. Such as, for example, the battery of the repeller. Montrans M-1 transmits data to the Ground Transportation Management System and GIS “MASH”. As the long-term practice of our company shows, Montrans terminals have an unlimited service life. We ourselves often use flights from Sheremetyevo, and we hope that flights will become even safer”.

Also, earlier MONTRANS Group of Companies implemented a special project at Sheremetyevo Airport to warn drivers of ground support vehicles about entering the runway zone. This solution makes it possible to warn drivers of the danger and for the dispatcher to control the operation of transportation even in poor visibility conditions.