KARACHI, May 9: The Pakistan Air Force has lost 12 aircraft in midair collisions with birds over the past 16 months, it emerged on Wednesday. The commanding officer of the PAF Southern Air Command, Air Vice Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, told a news conference that improper disposal of solid waste was primarily responsible for such accidents which had cost the exchequer dearly.

AVM Suleman said garbage heaps in the vicinity of an airfield attracted birds which posed a great threat to aircraft particularly when they were taking off or landing.

He urged the civic agencies concerned and the general public to dispose of garbage in a proper manner.

At least 40 per cent of 8,000 tons of solid waste generated in the city every day is taken to two designated sites of the local government. The remaining garbage is handled by scavengers, burnt in street corners or along major roads, and dumped in various open fields, drains and creeks, causing untold damage to the environment.

Giving details of the 12 crashes since January 2006, he said 11 aircraft had crashed last year while one crashed in the past four months. He added that most of the downed planes were Mirages and F-7s.

He made it clear that all the planes were in a perfect condition and had not suffered from mechanical failure, equipment malfunction or lack of poor maintenance.

AVM Suleman explained that a plane’s midair collision with a bird was as bad as a missile hit. He pointed out that fortunately the pilots of two aircraft that had been hit by birds over the city had managed to fly the planes away from thickly populated areas and eject to safety in time.

Later, a short film on bird-related aircraft crashes was shown to the newsmen.