In 2002, there were 205 mid-air collisions between planes and birds, more than twice as many as two years previously.

Only last week, an Airbus 320 charter plane flying in from Cyprus had to make an emergency landing after slamming into a goose, or maybe a flamingo, whose feathers were sucked into the engine, causing the smell of smoke to spread through the cabin, the paper reported.

Paradoxically, the number of accidents is on the rise at the same time as there is less air traffic in Sweden due to the weak economic environment.

But a zoologist quoted in the paper said that as the noise levels at airports drop, bird breeding in surrounding woodland goes up, increasing the danger of collisions.

Airports already apply a mix of methods to scare birds away, including light signals, the firing of hailstones in the air, and even controlled gas explosions at irregular intervals.

Planned extra measures include the clearing up of rubbish tips near airports, a favourite gathering ground for birds, the paper said.

SPACE.WIRE