Picnics at Montreal park risk hungry birds colliding with planes: airport

Montreal's main airport is the only one in Canada with its own observation park, but it has become a victim of its popularity, according to an airport spokesperson.

The Montreal Trudeau International Airport is cracking down on picnickers at its plane-spotting park, fearing hungry birds will collide with landing or departing aircraft.

Montreal’s main airport is the only one in Canada with its own observation park, Anne-Sophie Hamel, spokesperson for the airport, said Monday. But Jacques-de-Lesseps Park has become a victim of its popularity, she added.

To the dismay of airport authorities and plane-spotting hobbyists, an increasing number of people have started holding picnics at the park, which are strictly prohibited because they can attract birds.

“With this growing popularity, we’re noticing some behaviour that could be dangerous for us,” Hamel said in an interview.

The airport has launched a campaign — installing signage and posting on social media — explaining how dangerous picnics can be. Special constables with Airport Patrol, who can distribute fines, have also increased surveillance.

“Not everyone is able to make the link between having food and what we call bird strikes — the risk of a collision between an airplane and a bird,” she said.

Hamel said the risk of bird strikes is serious, explaining that in 2009, a US Airways flight was famously forced to make an emergency landing in New York’s Hudson River after both of its engines were disabled by bird strikes.

The risk from birds is highest during takeoff and landing, Hamel said, which makes the park’s location along the runway particularly dangerous for bird strikes.