Laser beam strikes flight during arrival at city airport

The Hindu

26-05-2025

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Around 8.15 p.m. on Sunday, as an Emirates B777-300 flight from Dubai was making its descent to the city airport, a green laser light struck the aircraft.
The pilot immediately reported the incident to the Air Traffic Control (ATC), who informed the police.
A day prior to this incident, a Gulf Air flight faced the same issue. In the month of May alone, there were five instances of laser beam interference experienced by flights landing at the Chennai airport, making it difficult for pilots to manoeuvre the aircraft.
'When the flight was around six nautical miles away from touchdown, the pilot encountered the issue and reported it to the ATC. The flashing of the laser stopped abruptly, and the flight landed safely at the 25-end (Guindy end) of the main runway,' a source said.
Laser beam interference is dangerous and categorised under 'hazardous incidents'.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has underscored the seriousness of this issue, especially when it occurs during critical phases of flight such as landing, approach and take-off, and how it could impact the pilot. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation, in its National Aviation Safety Plan 2024-2028, said: 'Aiming a laser at an aircraft, especially during approach and landing, may blind the flight crew and lead to a loss of control during a critical phase of flight, potentially causing a serious incident/accident. Public awareness is essential for preventing the occurrence of such incidents.'
In 2023, 144 cases of laser interference were reported during landing and take-off in the country.
'It is also difficult to trace and locate the individuals in such cases. We can only raise awareness, which we have been consistently doing. We keep highlighting the issue in the Airfield Environment Management Committee meetings as well,' a source said.
Usually, there are just one or two instances of these incidents, but weddings or other events can lead to an increase in such cases, according to sources.
'From toys to small-scale events, access to lasers have become so common. The only thing we can do is sensitise people to its adverse impact on aircraft. Moreover, the use of laser beam lights should be barred within the vicinity of the airport,' another source said.