Birds have been involved in 48 minor collisions with planes at Suvarnabhumi airport, according to the Bangkok Post. Thousands of birds are said to be attracted by drainage canals around the runways and food on nearby farms.
Airports of Thailand (AoT), which runs Suvarnabhumi, monitored the runways after pilots voiced their fears. The AoT found that the most serious threat came from open-billed storks, which gather in flocks of up to 700 and can grow to around 80cm in length.
Efforts to scare the birds away, including firecrackers and bird nets, have so far failed. Suvarnabhumi, which means golden land in Thai, opened in September 2006 at a cost of US$4 billion and was immediately beset by problems, including cracks in the runway and claims of corruption by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.