Powerful hand-held laser pointers are now widely available on the market and are being used as efficient mobile light sources to an ever increasing extent. One of the consequences of this development is that the aviation sector is now facing a new type of threat: aircraft crews are increasingly reporting that they have been dazzled by powerful light sources transmitted from the ground.
Attacks against pilots by dazzling them with laser beams are on the increase. Such attacks are illegal and represent a serious safety risk. Perpetrators of laser attacks against aircraft now face criminal charges.
Laser attacks to be reported to the police
Anyone who dazzles the crew of an aircraft with a laser device can be charged with interference with public transport and, depending on the consequences, with causing bodily harm. Anyone who observes an attempt to dazzle an aircraft crew in this way should report it to the relevant cantonal police. |
