This situation overview provides information on bird strikes and on related events. The information is produced by the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom and updated in English annually. In Finnish the information is updated twice a year.
Bird strikes
A bird strike is a collision between an aircraft and a flying animal, most often a bird, but sometimes also a bat. Although most bird strikes do not affect the flight or cause a dangerous situation, in the worst case, a collision can lead to loss of control of the aircraft.
Bird strikes are estimated to cost approximately one billion euros annually around the world, including aircraft damage, repair costs and operational delays. Climate change has seen new bird species move further north, which may increase the risk of bird strikes in the future. In addition, as aircraft become quieter and faster, the ability to detect and avoid birds may be reduced. Bird strike reporting has also improved in recent years, which may contribute to the number of cases detected.
N.B: For most up-to-date information on bird strikes, change language selection to Finnish.
Bird strikes 2024
A total of 298 bird strikes were reported in Finland or to Finnish aircraft in 2024. The total number was in line with the long-term average and was slightly lower than the previous year. 161 strikes were reported in Finland, which was slightly below the 2014–2023 average (172.5). 138 incidents were reported abroad, which was above the average (109).
In 2024, the number of bird strikes in Finland decreased slightly from the previous year. More than half of the incidents occurred at Helsinki Airport, which has also been typical in previous years. The next highest number of collisions was reported at Tampere-Pirkkala and Kuopio, of which Kuopio in particular has traditionally been at the top. Relative to the number of operations, the number of bird strikes at Helsinki Airport was at the same level as at other airports.
Most bird strikes do not cause significant incidents, and no such incidents were reported last year. Last year, one incident at Helsinki Airport was classified as a serious incident when several birds hit a commercial aircraft and its engines during takeoff. The pilots reduced the power of the other engine and successfully landed back at the airport.
The number of bird strikes abroad remained at about the same level as the previous year. Collisions occurred evenly across the world, but most frequently in Germany, Spain, Italy and Poland. These countries have been common locations for collisions in previous years, although Poland has not previously ranked at the top.
According to statistics, in 2013–2023, bird strikes in Finland occurred most frequently in July and August, especially between 7 and 8 a.m. More than half of the strikes occurred during approach or landing, and most often the aircraft was hit by a small bird. The exact species of bird is not usually reported, but most often it was a swallow or a seagull. The statistics for 2024 on the times and species of strikes were also quite similar to previous years.
Interactive report
Traficom publishes further information on bird strikes in an interactive report which you can access here (External link)(link to Microsoft app.powerbi.com-service)
