Lucknow's skies have become a danger zone, not from storms or turbulence, but from two man-made threats converging at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport. While unauthorised high-rises continue to encroach on flight paths, a more immediate danger emerges daily at dawn, swirling flocks of kites and crows drawn to meat shops that dump waste just kilometres from the runways.

Airport officials warn this lethal combination has turned every take off and landing into a potential disaster waiting to happen.

Over 40 meat shops within 3 km of the CCSIA dump waste openly, attracting kites and crows, especially during peak flight hours. "A single bird strike can down an engine", said an AAI official, citing the January 2023 Air Asia scare when a Lucknow-Kolkata flight was hit during takeoff. Despite crackers to scare birds, lax enforcement of meat shop bans persists.

Meanwhile, an AAI survey has flagged 624 obstacles including 170-meter towers, a mosque speaker, and illegal buildings within 20 km of CCSIA. Released shortly after the Ahmedabad Dreamliner crash, the report highlights dangerous encroachments near the runway. While strict height limits (155–205 meters) apply up to 9.1 km from the airport, unauthorised structures persist.

With 319 buildings and 214 trees violating flight path safety norms, officials admit that demolition is slow due to poor coordination among civic bodies.

Experts are now sounding the alarm, unless meat shops are relocated and illegal structures removed swiftly, Lucknow could face an Ahmedabad-like tragedy. “Safety isn’t negotiable,” said a former civil aviation director urging action before it’s too late.