MANILA - Major Philippine airlines on Wednesday asked aviation authorities to help them stop birds from colliding with and damaging planes.

Representatives of Cebu Pacific Air (CEB) and Philippine Airlines (PAL) said cases of "bird strikes" (the collision between an aircraft and a bird) are increasing, causing flight delays or cancellations.

Airplanes affected by "bird strikes" would also have to undergo strict safety checks before being allowed back into service, the airlines said in a statement.

Bird strikes increasing

Capt. Felipe Timola Jr., CEB Director of Safety, said bird strike incidents increased from 14 to 54 cases between October 2008 and October 2009.

Out of the 54 cases, he said, 7 of those incidents caused "major damage" to their aircraft.

Timola said in a press statement that there were 19 bird strikes in the past month alone.

Airports with the most number of bird strikes this year are in Manila, Iloilo and Puerto Princesa.

In a briefing with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) and the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), the airlines' representatives urged government agencies to "double their efforts to prevent bird hazards in the country's airports."

The CAAP implements civil aviation policies and investigates aviation accidents. The MIAA, meanwhile, administers and operaties the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City - the country's main international gateway.

Bird strike prevention

Airports in Seattle, for example, have put measures in place to prevent bird strikes.

American wildlife biologist Steve Osmek once proposed ways to prevent bird strikes in Seattle like using avian radar, noise, or planting foliage in the airport's perimeter so that birds do not nest near the airport premises.

Osmek also used nets to cover bodies of water near the airport to prevent birds from landing there.

Explosive shells fired from a pistol also scare off high-flying birds before a flight.

One of the most publicized cases of a bird strike was the US Airways Flight 1549 on an Airbus A320 that crash-landed on the Hudson River in New York on January 15 this year.

The plane, flown by Capt. Chesley Sullenberger, hit a flock of geese that caused its engines to malfunction. Sullenberger was able to land the crippled plane and all 150 passengers to safety.