Laser - En reell trussel mot flysikkerheten mener BALPA UK - Curt Lewis

More than 90 aircraft have been targeted by high powered lasers at Manchester Airport

Aircraft chiefs say there should be tougher laws to protect pilots



Nearly 100 aircraft were targeted by dangerous lasers pens near Manchester Airport last year.

Shining the strong lights at aeroplanes can dazzle and distract pilots - and is a criminal offence.

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Last year, there were 93 complaints of laser beams being trained on craft coming in and out of Manchester Airport, according to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

And Andrew Haines, chief executive of the flight body, has demanded an outright ban on laser pens to stop troublemakers from causing potentially fatal crashes.

Mr Haines believes the misuse of lasers is a tougher issue to solve than near misses involving drones because the former are "a deliberate attempt to cause harm".

Under the existing Air Navigation Order 2009, it is an offence to act in a manner "likely to endanger an aircraft" and there is also a lesser offence of shining a light at an aircraft.

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However the CAA boss wants the law to be toughened so anyone found carrying a laser pointer can be arrested.

Mr Haines said: "We and Balpa, the pilots' trade union, are very keen that the Government introduces legislation which means that the mere possession of these high-powered lasers by individuals not licensed for them would be a criminal offence.

"Why does Joe Bloggs walking down the street need a laser that can pop a balloon at 50 miles, that can cause permanent damage to a pilot?"

He described high-powered lasers as "pieces of scientific equipment" and insisted there is "no legitimate reason" for an individual to have one in public.

He said there have been cases of laser attacks causing permanent damage to pilots' eyesight and although they have not brought down an aircraft, it would be "daft to rule it out" as a possibility in the future.

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In July, two men who shone a laser pen into the cockpit of a police helicopter during a search for a missing person were jailed.

Martin Jayes, 46, and his neighbour Oktawain Plaskiewicz, 22, both of Bateman Road, New Parks, Leicester, targeted the chopper which was circling near their homes on March 9.

The pilot was forced to take evasive action and call off the search.

At Leicester Crown Court, Jayes was jailed for eight months and Plaskiewicz for six months.

An editorial published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology in April warned that pilots tend to focus on sudden bright lights, meaning that a laser attack can cause them to be dazzled and leave them with an after-image.

The journal stated that between 500,000 and one million laser pointers, pens, and key rings are thought to have been in circulation over the past decade.

It added that in recent years the nature and supply of handheld devices has changed dramatically, with many now stronger and unsuitable for sale to the general public.