SEOUL — South Korea’s aviation authorities and airport operators are stepping up vigilance as an influx of winter migratory birds heightens the risk of aircraft-wildlife collisions. Official figures show that nearly half of all recent bird strikes occur during the autumn migration season, underscoring systemic vulnerabilities in airport wildlife management.

Data released by lawmakers from the parliamentary Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee reveal that domestic airports recorded 1,272 bird strike incidents between 2021 and 2025. Crucially, 48.7% of these cases—amounting to 619 incidents—took place between September and November. This surge coincides with Eurasian winter visitors traveling south from Siberia and Mongolia to overwinter on the Korean Peninsula. In the first half of 2026 alone, 74 collisions were already logged.

The heightened sense of urgency follows a major aviation tragedy involving a Jeju Air passenger aircraft at Muan Airport in late 2024. In response, major aviation hubs have ramped up defensive technologies. Incheon International Airport recently integrated runway laser deterrent systems capable of covering an area over thirty times broader than traditional shotgun methods. Similarly, Muan Airport has upgraded its deterrent suite with thermal-imaging cameras, acoustic alarms, and enhanced bird-chasing equipment.

Regulatory frameworks are also expanding. Beginning next month, the revised Airport Facilities Act will widen official bird strike risk management zones from an 8-kilometer radius to a 13-kilometer boundary around airports, aligning South Korean protocols with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) guidelines.

Beyond Deterrence: The Need for Ecological Insights

Despite the deployment of advanced deterrent tools, industry specialists argue that reactive dispersion methods alone are insufficient. Aviation safety hazards tied to bird strikes nearly doubled from 426 cases in 2021 to 839 cases last year. The collision frequency per 10,000 flight operations similarly ticked upward from 9.7 to 10.5 over the same timeframe.

Geographical vulnerabilities compound the issue. Aside from Jeju International Airport, all 14 regional airports across the country feature a combined total of 31 migratory bird habitats within a 13-kilometer radius. Peak counts from recent winter surveys recorded up to 44,000 birds near Muan Airport and roughly 62,000 around Gimhae Airport. Moreover, at least 121 avian-attracting facilities—including orchards, food processing plants, and waste-disposal sites—operate within an 8-kilometer buffer zone of domestic airports.

Environmental and aviation experts advocate for a shift toward proactive ecological planning. Lee Hoo-seung, a senior researcher at the Korea Environment Institute, emphasized the importance of mapping local avian behavior, identifying whether specific zones serve as breeding, resting, or feeding grounds. By building comprehensive databases on migration timing and flight corridors, authorities can accurately forecast high-risk windows for pilots.

Concurring with this assessment, Prof. Kim Chang-woo of Far East University’s Department of Aviation Safety Management highlighted the necessity of real-time intelligence sharing. He noted that integrating avian-detection radar data and distributing predictive movement alerts directly to airlines, air traffic controllers, and flight crews is vital to safeguarding future skies.

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