The Bird Strike Committee Italy

The Bird Strike Committee Italy (BSCI) is the ENAC working group reporting functionally to the Directorate for Economic Planning and Infrastructure Development. The Committee is responsible for coordinating all wildlife strike prevention and risk management activities at national level, and serves as the technical and scientific reference body for airport operators, airlines, and all sector stakeholders.

The BSCI comprises 13 members, including a professional ornithologist, drawn from all bodies involved in aviation safety: pilots, air traffic controllers, military personnel, airport operators, air operators and regulatory authorities.

The principal institutional functions of the BSCI are: monitoring the implementation of applicable regulations; collecting, processing and submitting national wildlife strike statistics to ICAO; supporting internal ENAC bodies and airport operators, including through training courses, targeted inspection visits and awareness-raising initiatives; contributing to the updating of the regulatory and procedural framework in line with international and European developments; engaging local authorities and maintaining international relations.

 

A history of over thirty years

The BSCI has a well-established tradition that places it among the longest-standing national committees in Europe:

1987
Informal establishment of the Bird Strike Committee Italy, among the first such bodies in Europe
1993
Formal establishment by decree of the Ministry of Transport, implementing Article 2 of Law 157/1992. Organisation of the 1st National Seminar on Wildlife Strike in Bologna
2001
Reconstitution of the Committee within ENAC by order of the Director General, following the civil aviation reform (Legislative Decree 250/1997)
2002
Launch of the national wildlife strike database, systematically collecting reports from all Italian airports
2006
Start of regular production of national annual wildlife strike reports
2011
Issue of Circular APT-01B, defining the national regulatory framework. Development and implementation of the Birdstrike Risk Index (BRI) in collaboration with Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
2018
Publication of Guidelines LG 2018/002 on wildlife strike risk management in the vicinity of aerodromes
2025
Establishment of the Italian Birdstrike Identification Center (I.B.I.C.) through a convention with the University of Turin
2026
Organisation of the International Wildlife Strike Conference “Naples2026”. Promotion and development of the National Portal on Wildlife Hazard for Aviation (activation in progress).

 

An integrated system

Wildlife strike management in Italy is based on an integrated system involving several stakeholders, each with specific responsibilities:

Stakeholder Responsibilities
ENAC-BSCI National coordination, definition of the regulatory framework, oversight of airport operators’ activities, approval of wildlife surveys and prevention plans, national data collection and analysis, promotion of training and dissemination of best practices.
Airport operators Direct operational prevention: preparation of the wildlife and environmental survey, establishment and management of the Bird Control Unit (BCU) with trained personnel, daily wildlife monitoring, implementation of dispersal and control measures, reporting of strike events and external attractants, calculation of the BRI, preparation of the annual report.
Air operators Timely reporting of events by flight crew, crew training on prevention procedures, cooperation with operators and ENAC in information sharing. At ENAC’s invitation, cooperation with airport operators — through their own maintenance staff — in the collection of biological samples from aircraft during routine post-flight inspections.
I.B.I.C. Scientific support for the identification of species involved in strikes, through morphological feather analysis and DNA genetic analysis.
Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare) Coordination of prevention activities at military aerodromes, sharing of data and methodologies with the civil system, ensuring an integrated approach to national airspace safety.

International collaboration

The BSCI actively participates in the international network of national committees and industry conferences. This collaboration enables the exchange of knowledge, methodologies and best practices with counterparts from other countries, contributing to the continuous improvement of prevention strategies.