The pilots’ union has called on the Government to take action after a Virgin Atlantic flight to New York had to turn back to Heathrow, apparently following a 'laser attack'.
The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) says the incident ‘clearly shows why more needs to be done to tackle the growing use of lasers against aircraft’.
Heathrow (pictured) has the highest number of reported laser incidents
Jim McAuslan, general secretary of BALPA, said: ‘This is not an isolated incident. Aircraft are attacked with lasers at an alarming rate and with lasers with ever-increasing strength.
‘It is an incredibly dangerous thing to do. Shining a laser at an aircraft puts that aircraft, its crew and all the passengers on board at completely unnecessary risk. Modern lasers have the power to blind, and certainly to act as a huge distraction and to dazzle the pilots during critical phases of flight.’
He added: ‘We repeat our call to the Government to classify lasers as offensive weapons which would give the police more power to arrest people for possessing them if they had no good reason to have them. This incident shows why this is becoming more-and-more urgent.’
In the first six months of last year, 435 laser incidents were reported to the Civil Aviation Authority. This compares with 1440 for 2014 as a whole.
In each case, the airport with the highest number of reported incidents was Heathrow.
A CAA spokesperson said: ‘Shining a laser at an aircraft in flight could pose a serious safety risk and it is a criminal offence to do so. We strongly urge anyone who sees a laser being used at night in the vicinity of an airport to contact the police immediately.’
