October 5, 2016

Jersey International Airport Uses Lasers for Bird Strike Prevention

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The Aerolaser Handheld is the ideal addition to Jersey International Airports’ bird strike prevention methods. Not only became it easier, cheaper and quicker to scare away birds, some of the species stayed away altogether.

Company: Jersey International Airport
Location: Jersey, United Kingdom
Product: Aerolaser Handheld
Reason: Danger of low altitude bird strikes
In use since: Summer of 2015

Benefits for Jersey International Airport
• Cost reduction in bird strike prevention
• Less vehicle movements on the runway
• Some bird species stay away altogether
• Easy to use and low initial costs

Situation before
The airport used a variety of methods to repel birds from the runway and neighboring area. Including habitat management, broadcasting of bird distress calls and pyrotechnics.

Situation after
The Aerolaser Handheld is the ideal addition to Jersey International Airports’ bird strike prevention methods. Not only became it easier, cheaper and quicker to scare away birds, some of the species stayed away altogether.

Laser bird strike prevention is making Jersey International Airport as unattractive for birds as possible

Jersey International Airport is situated at the largest of the Channel Islands: Jersey Island, just off the coast Gulls, crows, magpies, swallows. There are many different species that make a stop at Jersey Island in search of food or a place to rest. Bird controllers categorize them in high and low priority species where body mass is the leading factor. On top of the list: gulls.

Habitat management
The main problem the birds are causing is bird strikes. The bigger the bird, the greater risks to aircrafts. Alistair Varrie, bird Control coördinator at Jersey International Airport: “It’s hard to repel gulls. Even though we make the area as unattractive as possible. Our day to day habitat management involves among others: the disposal of rubbish and food in bins with special bird lids, adding bird repelling wires to buildings and having the grass at a certain length. But it is by far not enough to keep the animals from exploring the area. Therefore we added more forceful methods into the mix.”

20% less cartridges
There was a need for a quick and easy fix next to the more traditional bird prevention methods the airport was using. Varrie: “Birds tend to get used to certain methods. We were going through so many cartridges and our bird distress calls weren’t giving us the results we wanted. With the Aerolaser Handheld we have the perfect addition to our bird prevention toolbox. It resulted in a significant reduction of intervention time, labor costs and a reduction up to 15 to 20% in cartridges. After using the Aerolaser Handheld for over a year we can conclude that birds don’t get habituated to the laser beam.”

Safety first
Varrie says he would recommend the Aerolaser Handheld to others. “The Aerolaser Handheld is a safe, easy and quick way to repel birds. We treat the tool as a firearm. To ensure safety for everyone involved.” The Aerolaser Handheld is a good fit for the airport. Bird controllers can use the tool from within their vehicle making sure there is no unnecessary movement of vehicles on the runway. “If we expand our bird control equipment we would definitely opt for the Aerolaser Groundflex.”


Bird Control Group’s automated laser bird repellent provides 24/7 protection from wild birds by shining a green laser light in the area affected by the problem. Get in touch via the form below if you are interested in learning more.

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