An airline flight Virgin Atlantic departed from Heathrow Airport in London, with New York destination returned shortly after takeoff, after a laser beam was pointed toward the cockpit, the company said on Monday (15 / 02).
The aircraft flew to Ireland when requested return. A crew member warned air traffic controllers that one of the pilots had had a health problem after the incident involving a laser beam.
The airline confirmed the problem. "After the incident, the first commander said it felt bad. The decision to return to Heathrow instead of continuing the transatlantic crossing was made by both drivers," said the company.
A British union pilots warned that the problem of laser attacks is growing. Between 2009 and 2015, the civil air authority UK registered about 9000 incidents.
"This is not an isolated incident. Pointing a laser against an aircraft endangers the aircraft, its crew and all passengers on board. Modern lasers can cause blindness," said the general secretary of the British Association of airline pilots.
The rays can also cause temporary loss of vision, which persists even after the light has been removed.
According to the association, in November a pilot of British Airways had a damaged eye after a laser was pointed at the cockpit. Police said that a man was arrested earlier this month after a green laser was pointed at several aircraft flying over Kent in southeast England.
The Airbus A340 Virgin Atlantic carried 252 passengers and had 15 people in the crew. The airline said it is working together with the police to identify the perpetrators of the attack.
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