Rocky - Bat Strikes

[Greg Hyde]

Thousands of breeding flying foxes stopping planes from landing in Rockhampton

Cruising into Rockhampton on an evening flight, you may be lucky enough to catch a central Queensland sunset over the botanic gardens before touching down.

But those gardens, and some of the creatures that live there, may also be the reason you take longer to land.

The Rockhampton Botanic Gardens is home to up to 10,000 flying foxes during
the breeding season, and the tiny creatures can be a hazard to aircraft.
Rockhampton Airport, which is owned by the local council, recorded 43 bat and bird strikes this past financial year.


CQUniversity biology professor Simon Robson said it was common for bats and flying foxes to be active at sunset as they searched for something to eat.

"This time of the year they'll move between camps looking for places where they can roost safely and find food," Professor Robson said.

"So [they are] seasonally driven by the climate, the weather, and food availability."

Bird and bat strikes can be potentially catastrophic for aircraft because of the damage they can cause.

To avoid a mid-air collision with bats, air traffic control notifies pilots of the potential danger, and the plane then circles until the bat colony clears and it is safe to land.

The impact on flights can range from 10 minutes of circling to flight cancellations if an aircraft strikes a bat or bird.
Qantas Airlines and Virgin Australia both confirmed that their aircraft had been impacted in recent weeks.

A Qantas flight scheduled to fly out of Rockhampton last month had to be cancelled after it struck a bat on its arrival to the city.
The council said in a statement it did not record the number of aircraft specifically delayed by bats.

However, multiple passengers have taken to social media this year to report having flights disrupted by the nocturnal mammals.
Peace Aviation chief pilot Stephen Alley said he was able to manage his flight schedule from the airport to avoid flying at dusk, but commercial airlines do not have the same flexibility.

"For us, it usually just revolves around either making sure we're going to be back on the ground before dark or that we're going to be back in Rockhampton comfortably after the bats would have moved on," he said.

"I think Rockhampton is a particularly bad spot as far as bats go. We've got a huge section of water at each end of the runway, so that sort of encourages bird life."

The sun is setting over the runway at the Rockhampton Airport, there is a plane on the left of the runway.

As the sun sets, flying fox activity increases as they move to find food. (ABC Capricornia: Freya Jetson)

Mr Alley said although he avoided flying at sunset, the bats could pose a bigger risk to larger aircraft because of engine design.

"They have a propeller on the front or they're operating jet engines," he said.

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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-...port/105071226