Beijing warns of pigeon threat to flights

Flocks of pigeons are thronging the airport, crashing into planes and threatening public safety, the government's China Daily newspaper said Saturday. Some are carrier pigeons raised as pets, a centuries-old Beijing tradition.

"Pigeons are now one of the greatest threats for airplanes," Huang Jianjun, an airport manager, was quoted as saying. "And the situation can only get riskier when the number of flights increases leading up to the 2008 Olympic Games."

On Monday, an aircraft collided with a flock of nine pigeons but managed to land safely, the newspaper said. It said they were found to be carrier pigeons raised by a farmer living nearby.

"It was sheer luck that the plane was about to land and therefore was flying quite slowly, so it didn't sustain any major damage," Huang said.

The airport has strung nets and tried to scare away pigeons with loudspeakers that broadcast sounds of owls and other predators but has had little success, the China Daily said.

"It is with urgency that local authorities ban pigeon breeding, feeding and flying anywhere near the airport," Huang said.