One of the most complex and dangerous situations of an airplane flight is that of the so-called "Bird strike", the impact (unfortunately not uncommon) of the aircraft's engines with flocks of birds. The coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent lockdown they have done nothing but accentuate the phenomenon, extending it to other species, so much so that they can speak without problems of "Wild strike". Simply put, after covid-related restrictions, the risk of impacts between vectors and wild animals, both on the runway and in flight.
The confirmation came in the last hours fromENAC (National Civil Aviation Authority), the authority regulating aviation in our country. In summary, between 2020 and 2021 the clashes between planes and wildlife have been over 1.600 (1.617 to be precise), a number that cannot leave you indifferent if you think that flights have been drastically reduced precisely because of the pandemic.
Low-cost airline Ryanair reported the largest number of cases (more than 28%, therefore just under a third), followed by Alitalia (14.3%) and Wizz Air (9,8%). The isolations related to the lockdown gave a boost to the reproduction of seagulls, pigeons, hares and rabbits, so as to make their presence even more frequent in the areas close to the airports.