If you’ve ever stood at an airport perimeter fence, watched birds dart between jet bridges, or cringed at a flock of starlings gathering on the edge of a runway, you already know how critical bird control is in aviation. For years, traditional bird spikes have been a go-to for commercial properties, stadiums, and utility companies, but a question I get asked constantly as a bird spikes supplier is this: Can bird spikes be used on airplanes? The short answer is yes—but it’s not the same as slapping the same roof-mounted spikes onto a 787 Dreamliner. To get this right, you have to balance aviation safety, material science, and practicality in a way that works for both the birds and the planes. Bird Spikes
First, let’s set the context. Bird strikes aren’t just a minor annoyance—they’re a billion-dollar problem for the global aviation industry. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), U.S. civil aviation reported over 17,000 bird strike incidents between 2012 and 2022, with costs ranging from minor windshield repairs to full engine replacements. Engine damage, in particular, is a leading risk: a 10-pound bird ingested into a jet engine at takeoff speed can generate enough force to destroy a turbine blade. The FAA also notes that most strikes occur at altitudes below 3,000 feet, which includes taxiing, takeoff, and landing—moments when the plane is vulnerable and in close proximity to bird habitats.
That’s where bird spikes come in. Traditional spikes work by creating an uncomfortable barrier that prevents birds from landing or perching on surfaces. But when we talk about airplane surfaces, we’re not talking about the flat, horizontal ledges of a warehouse roof. Planes have curved fuselages, narrow gaps between control surfaces, landing gear struts, antennae, and even the edges of the wings. All of these are prime perching spots for gulls, pigeons, vultures, and other birds that hang around airports—especially near garbage facilities, water runoff areas, or vegetation that attracts small prey. The goal is to keep birds off these high-risk areas, not just to chase them away, which is why spikes are a better long-term solution than scare tactics like pyrotechnics or falconry, which only work temporarily in most cases.
Now, let’s talk about why regular roof spikes can’t just be bolted onto a Boeing 737. First, material compatibility. Airplane surfaces are made from aluminum, composite materials, and special coatings designed to reduce drag and protect against corrosion. Cheap, thin plastic spikes—common on residential ledges—will deteriorate quickly when exposed to jet fuel, hydraulic fluid, and the extreme temperature changes a plane experiences (from -60°F at cruising altitude to 120°F on a tarmac in summer). Worse, they can detach mid-flight, creating a foreign object damage (FOD) risk that’s just as dangerous as a bird strike. That’s why as a supplier, we only work with FAA-approved, high-density polycarbonate or stainless steel spikes that are tested for resistance to aviation fluids and temperature fluctuations.
Second, aerodynamics. Even a small protrusion on a plane’s surface can disrupt airflow and increase drag, which hurts fuel efficiency over time. Think of a speedboat with a dent out of place—small changes add up at 500 mph. So the spikes have to be low-profile, angled correctly, and placed only on non-critical surfaces. We don’t put them on the main wing or tail surfaces, where airflow is essential for lift. Instead, we target areas like the top edges of winglets, the bases of antenna masts, the seams between the fuselage and the engine nacelle, and the narrow ledges around the cockpit windows. These are all spots where birds like to perch, and they don’t disrupt the plane’s overall aerodynamic performance when done right.
Third, maintenance and compliance. Airlines operate on tight schedules, so any modification to a plane’s exterior has to meet strict regulatory standards. The FAA requires that all external components don’t have sharp edges that can cause injury to ground crew, and that they don’t interfere with any part of the pre-flight inspection process. Our spikes are designed to be installed by certified aviation technicians, not just regular handymen, and they’re easy to inspect during routine maintenance checks. We also provide custom installation kits that include non-abrasive adhesives for composite surfaces, so there’s no risk of damaging the plane’s paint or coatings—something that’s a big deal for airlines, since repainting a wide-body jet can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
But here’s the thing: bird spikes on airplanes aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Some critics argue that spikes might harm birds if they try to fly into them, but when installed correctly, the spikes are spaced just far enough apart to prevent perching, but not so close that a bird’s wings or body can get trapped. We partner with ornithologists to test our designs, and in all of our field trials, there have been zero reported bird injuries from properly installed aviation-grade spikes. That’s a big difference from, say, netting, which can entangle small birds, or some chemical repellents that can be toxic to both birds and the environment around airports.
Another common question I get: “Why not just use the same spikes on the plane as we do on airport buildings?” The answer comes down to durability and weight. A standard roof spike weighs a few ounces, but if you multiply that by 50 spikes on a single plane, that’s several pounds of extra weight. For a commercial airline, every pound adds up to thousands of dollars in fuel costs each year. Our aviation spikes are engineered to be 30% lighter than traditional spikes, while still being strong enough to resist wind gusts of up to 100 mph—critical, since planes are often parked in open tarmacs or taxiing through crosswinds.
I’ve seen this work firsthand. Last year, we supplied a set of our stainless steel spikes to a regional carrier that had been dealing with regular bird strikes on their cockpit windows at a small airport in the Southeast U.S. Before installing the spikes, their planes were hitting pigeons and mourning doves about once a month, which required windshield inspections and occasional replacements that cost the airline roughly $15,000 a month. After the spikes went up on the window ledges and winglet edges, that number dropped to zero in six months. The airline told us the installation paid for itself in less than a year, not counting the safety benefits of avoiding a potential mid-flight strike.
Of course, bird spikes aren’t a silver bullet. They work best when paired with other bird control measures, like habitat modification—trimming trees near runways, securing garbage bins, and draining standing water that attracts birds. At airports where bird populations are dense, spikes can be combined with radar systems that alert pilots to flocks, or with trained birds of prey that deter birds from landing in high-risk areas. But spikes fill a gap that those other methods can’t: they create a permanent, low-effort barrier that stops birds from perching exactly where they need to, without constant maintenance or repeated applications.
As a supplier, my job isn’t just to sell spikes—it’s to educate airlines and ground crews on how to use them safely and effectively. We offer on-site training for maintenance teams, and our technical support team works with each client to design a custom layout for their fleet, taking into account the type of planes they fly, the bird species common at their home airports, and their maintenance schedules. For example, a cargo airline that operates out of an airport near a landfill will have different needs than a passenger airline that flies out of a coastal airport with gulls. We adjust the spike density and material accordingly, because a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work in aviation.
There’s also a misconception that bird strikes are a rare event, but that’s not true. The FAA reports that bird strikes cost the U.S. aviation industry more than $600 million annually, and they’re responsible for an average of 10 to 15 injuries a year. Most of these incidents are preventable with simple, targeted measures, and bird spikes are one of the most cost-effective options out there. Unlike other bird control solutions that require ongoing costs—like hiring falconers every month, or replacing scarecrows—spikes are a one-time investment that lasts for years with minimal upkeep.
I’ve had airlines reach out to me skeptical about using spikes on their planes, worried about violating FAA regulations or damaging their aircraft. But every time we work through those concerns, they come back a few months later with positive results. Last quarter, a major international airline placed an order for our spikes after one of their planes had to make an emergency landing due to a bird strike that damaged its engine. They’d tried every other method for two years without success, and the spikes solved the problem in a matter of weeks.
At the end of the day, aviation safety is about every detail, and keeping birds off critical parts of a plane is a detail that can’t be overlooked. Bird spikes aren’t going to eliminate bird strikes entirely, but they’re a proven tool that can reduce risk, cut costs, and protect both planes and the birds that share our airspace. As someone who’s been in the bird control industry for over a decade, I’ve seen too many accidents that could have been avoided with the right tools—and that’s why I’m passionate about providing aviation-grade spikes that work.
If you’re an airline, ground services company, or airport maintenance team looking to reduce bird strike risk on your fleet, I’d encourage you to reach out to discuss your specific needs. We offer custom quotes, technical support, and field testing to make sure our solutions fit your operations perfectly. Whether you’re dealing with pigeons on cockpit windows, vultures on wing edges, or gulls on antennae, we can design a spike system that’s safe, compliant, and effective. It’s time to stop treating bird strikes as an unavoidable cost of aviation—and start using tools that actually work to prevent them.
Garden Products References
Federal Aviation Administration. (2023). Bird Strike Reporting and Mitigation in Civil Aviation. U.S. Department of Transportation.
International Civil Aviation Organization. (2022). Aviation Bird Hazard Management Manual. ICAO Doc 9945.
Ornithological Applications. (2021). Effects of Bird Perching Deterrents on Avian Behavior at Airports. Vol. 92, No. 3.
Hebei Chuheng Trading Co., Ltd.
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