India, June 11 -- The Indian Air Force (IAF) has stepped in to tackle the growing threat posed by birds to routine flight operations at Pune International Airport; it has formed a dedicated five-member task force to implement preventive measures. The move comes in the wake of multiple recent incidents including a three-hour delay in flight operations due to the presence of a large number of birds on the runway and a flight from Delhi being rerouted on Friday after bird interference made landing unsafe.

The newly-formed task force is using high-decibel zone guns to deter birds from entering the airport vicinity. These devices produce loud sounds to scare away the birds, reducing their presence around the runway area. Additionally, grass a...