The regulatory framework

Wildlife strike prevention is governed by a comprehensive regulatory framework operating at three levels: international (ICAO), European (EASA/EU) and national (ENAC). This regulatory structure defines the responsibilities, procedures and technical standards that all sector operators are required to comply with.

National regulations establish an explicit obligation on airport operators to implement appropriate containment measures to prevent the risk of bird and other wildlife strikes at aerodromes under their management and to limit their severity, on the basis of a risk assessment study.

ICAO Regulations

ICAO (the International Civil Aviation Organization) has developed Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) on wildlife strike to which all Member States, including Italy, must adhere.

🌐 ICAO Annex 14 — Aerodromes, Vol. I, Chapter 9.4 “Wildlife Strike Hazard Reduction”. International standards establishing the obligation to assess the risk, adopt mitigation measures, and eliminate or prevent attractants in the vicinity of aerodromes.
🌐 ICAO Doc. 9137 AN/898, Part 3 — Airport Services Manual: Bird Control and Reduction. Detailed operational guidelines for risk management.
🌐 ICAO Doc. 9184 — Airport Planning Manual, Part 1 (Master Planning) and Part 2 (Land Use and Environmental Control). Guidance for land use planning.
🌐 ICAO Doc. 9332 — Manual on the ICAO Bird Strike Information System (IBIS).

EASA and EU Regulations

At European level, EASA (the European Union Aviation Safety Agency) has issued rules that emphasise the importance of the environment external to the aerodrome and the need to monitor it.

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Regulation (EC) No 1108/2009 — Amending Regulation 216/2008 as regards aerodromes. Annex Va establishes that operators must implement a wildlife risk management programme.
↗ EUR-Lex
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Regulation (EU) No 139/2014 — Technical requirements and administrative procedures relating to aerodromes. Article 10 and GM2 ADR.OPS.B.020 provide that the operator must implement a management plan covering an area of approximately 13 km from the Aerodrome Reference Point (ARP).
↗ EUR-Lex
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Regulation (EU) No 376/2014 — Reporting, analysis and follow-up of occurrences in civil aviation. Regulatory basis for mandatory reporting through ECCAIRS2.
↗ EUR-Lex

National regulations

At national level, the subject is regulated by ENAC through the Regulations for the Construction and Operation of Airports and the related implementing circular, as well as by the Navigation Code.

Navigation Code

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Legislative Decree 151/2006 — Article 707: ENAC identifies the areas adjacent to aerodromes to be subject to restrictions. Article 711: within the areas referred to in Article 707, works, plantations and activities constituting a potential attractant for wildlife are subject to limitations.
↗ Normattiva

Enac regulations

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Regulations for the Construction and Operation of Airports — Chapter 4, para. 12 “Hazards to air navigation”; Chapter 5 “Risk of bird strike”.
↗ ENAC
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Circular APT-01B of 23 December 2011 — Procedures for the prevention of bird and other wildlife strike risks at aerodromes. The principal national document defining the overall framework.
↗ ENAC
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Guidelines LG 2018/002 of 1 October 2018 — “Wildlife strike risk management in the vicinity of aerodromes”. Defines three safeguarding zones (A: 0–3 km, B: 3–8 km, C: 8–13 km) and requirements for external attractants, differentiated by risk level.
↗ ENAC

Other national legislation

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Law 157/1992 — Provisions for the protection of warm-blooded wild fauna and for hunting. Article 2 establishes that control of bird population levels at aerodromes for the purposes of aviation safety is entrusted to the Minister of Transport (now ENAC).
↗ Normattiva
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Law 221/2002 — Amendments to aerodrome regulations.
↗ Normattiva