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 The number of incidents of laser beams being shone into aircraft cockpits and temporarily blinding pilots during take-off and landing has increased dramatically in recent years, warns the British Airline Pilots' Association (BALPA).
'We are calling on the Secretary of State for Transport, Lord Adonis, to act before we have a serious incident,' said BALPA General Secretary Jim McAuslan. 'Passenger lives are being put at risk every week now.'
There were only three incidents in 2003. In 2007 there were 29 Last year the number soared to 206. These laser guns, some no bigger than a ball-point pen, cost less than £10 and can be obtained from websites and even from some corner shops. Most are imported from China.
The laser beams can reach 37,000 ft but most are targeted at the cockpits of aircraft taking off or landing round Britain's airports.
In his letter to Lord Adonis, Jim McAuslan says 'technology to locate the exact origin of the beam has been developed and we hope that such devices are rapidly rolled out to police forces across the UK.'
He added that the Civil Aviation Authority has expressed its concern.
'However we believe that laser related incidents pose a sufficient risk to flight safety that co-ordinated action is required across the industry.'
In the letter, BALPA asks Lord Adonis to sponsor a conference of all those in the industry, the police and courts, to decide:
1. How to best get the message across to culprits that far from being just a childish prank, targeting laser beams at cockpits poses a threat to the lives of passengers and crew.
2. How all those in civil aviation can better help the police and courts to stamp out the practice, and whether the existing penalties are a sufficient deterrent.
3. Whether anything can be done to restrict sale of laser guns.
"We are pleased that an amendment to the Air Navigation Order is going through Parliament to make targeting aircraft with lasers a specific offence, but there is much more to do," Jim McAuslan said.
"Unfortunately the buying and using of these laser guns has become something of a fad. We have to stamp it out before a tragedy occurs.
Fortunately no pilot has lost his or her sight permanently, but that is not to say it won't happen. None of us can afford to let the use of these laser guns go on unchecked."
Source: BALPA
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