Air disaster fears af ter airport laser attacks by yobs double

LASER attacks at Glasgow Airport have almost doubled in a year, posing a ‘real threat to flight safety’, a pilots’ association has warned.

There were 83 incidents at the airport in 2016, up from 44 in 2015, according to figures published by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

It was second only to Heathrow, which had the highest level of attacks at 151 incidents – up from 121 in 2015.

The number of incidents at Edinburgh Airport dropped from 55 in 2015 to 44 last year.

Across the UK, 1,258 laser attacks were reported in 2016, down from 1,439 the year before, which equates to more than three incidents a day on average.

The British Airline Pilots’ Association (Balpa) warned of a serious incident if the problem was not tackled.

Balpa flight safety specialist Steve Landells said: ‘We are concerned that, at more than three reports a day, this figure is still dangerously high. We’re also concerned that under-reporting of incidents could mean that we don’t have a true idea of the scale of the problem.

‘Shining a laser at aircraft is incredibly dangerous and a real threat to flight safety.

‘The power of these devices is increasing and we’re concerned that, if left to escalate without significant intervention, we could see a serious incident happen in the near future.’

Balpa welcomed new legislation to tighten the law on lasers.

Mr Landells added: ‘We have been campaigning for tougher punishments for offenders for many years and so are encouraged by the recognition of this problem in the new Vehicle Technology and Aviation Bill, which proposes to increase the powers of the courts to allow them to impose prison sentences on those putting lives at risk by shining a laser at an aircraft.’

The third most targeted airport was Birmingham, with 73 incidents, followed by Manchester, 72, London City, 62, and London Gatwick, 55.

In January last year, a laser pen was shone at the pilot of a passenger plane coming in to land at Inverness Airport after flying from Stornoway. The aircraft landed safely and the incident was reported to police.

A month earlier, a man who targeted a Police Scotland helicopter with a laser pen was jailed for 12 months. Craig Ryan, 23, shone the beam from his garden in Stevenston, Ayrshire, forcing the pilot to take evasive action.

Jailing Ryan at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court, Sheriff Alistair Watson told him the incident could have had ‘catastrophic’ consequences.

Pilot Janet Alexander told BBC Radio Four’s Today programme last year: ‘It’s like a lightning strike … You could permanently damage someone’s sight.’

‘Incredibly dangerous’