HARES and birds have been sucked into the engines of planes at Dublin Airport 54 times this year in a series of high-risk incidents with the potential to bring down aircraft, according to the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA).

Forty-three “bird strikes” were reported by planes taking off or landing at the airport, while hares inhabiting grassy areas next to runways were “ingested” by engines on 11 occasions.

The latter is considered to be a greater threat to passenger safety, because the bodies of ingested hares are typically spread over a large area after hitting the engine and can attract flocks of birds – thereby creating a secondary hazard.

However, the airport authority has succeeded in reducing the number of such incidents in recent years through elaborate prevention measures including the use of flare guns and nets.

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Some 44 hares were captured at Dublin Airport this year before being released in Kildare and Wicklow under the supervision of a consultant approved by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

The main risk to aircraft arises from hares located within the grassed islands enclosed by taxiways or runways, according to the DAA.

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