Pilots call for crackdown on lasers after Virgin flight aborted

A pilots' union has said 'more needs to be done' to tackle the growing use of lasers against aircraft after a New York-bound plane had to turn back to Heathrow.

A Virgin pilot felt unwell after being assailed by a laser. Picture: PA

The Virgin Atlantic flight returned to the west London airport as a “precautionary measure” after the co-pilot reported feeling unwell following the incident on Sunday.

A Virgin Atlantic spokeswoman said the safety of the crew and customers on board the VS025 travelling from London Heathrow to New York JFK flight was a “top priority.”

They added: “All customers will be offered overnight accommodation and we will get them on their journey as soon as possible. We are working with the authorities to identify the source of the laser that caused the return of the aircraft to Heathrow.”

In 2010, a law was passed in the UK which allows offenders to be charged with “shining a light at an aircraft in flight so as to dazzle or distract the pilot”. If the distraction or dazzle is serious, a person may be found guilty of “reckless endangerment” and sent to prison.

According to the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa), a laser can result in temporary vision loss associated with flash blindness, a “visual interference that persists after the source of illumination has been removed”, an after-image, an “image left in the visual field after exposure to a bright light”, and glare.

Balpa general secretary Jim McAuslan 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.”

Between 2009 and June 2015, more than 8,998 laser incidents across the country were reported to the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

Topping the list for the number of laser incidents for the first six months of last year was London Heathrow, with a total of 48.