How a landfill poses danger to Beirut flights
Although the Costa Brava landfill, which is in close proximity to Lebanon’s only airport in Beirut, was closed, seagulls attracted to the waste pose a major threat to planes, while the government has yet to find a final solution to the two-year trash crisis.
On Jan. 11, Judge of Urgent Matters Hasan Hamdan ordered the temporary closure of the Costa Brava landfill located only 167 meters (0.1 mile) from Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut. The landfill could lead to possible aviation accidents because of the seagulls attracted to the waste.
The Costa Brava landfill has been temporarily closed as the operator of the landfill, Jihad Arab, was formally notified to abide by the judge's orders. On Jan. 11, new Minister of Public Works Youssef Finianos told reporters that he recognized the “danger the birds pose to the civil aviation movement,” and said that the problem of Ghadir River's high pollution near the dump site will be dealt with.
On Jan. 10, an accident happened when a plane encountered a large flock of birds during landing, leading to the closure of the western runway of the airport until the issue of birds is resolved. Prime Minister Saad Hariri asked for an immediate addition of ultrasonic bird repellers at the airport, although the ones already there proved not to be efficient as the birds got used to them.
Lebanese blogger Elie Fares, in order to express the risks at stake, referred on his blog post titled “A separate state of mind” to the recent film “Sully,” which tells the story of Chesley Sullenberger, the pilot forced to land his plane on the Hudson River on Jan. 15, 2009, after striking a flock of Canada geese that disabled the engines.
