Kolkata: A laser beam from somewhere in North 24 Parganas momentarily blinded the pilots of IndiGo flight 6E 342 that was coming from Patna to land in Kolkata on Friday night, giving jitters to the pilot fraternity over increasing incidences of laser light violations in the Kolkata airport flight path.
The airport director has forwarded the complaint to police and called for a sensitisation campaign to rid the area of the menace. The flight had 131 flyers and 6 crew members.
Around 7 km from the airport near Ganganagar, a strong laser beam entered the cockpit around 6.55 pm. Around three weeks ago, another pilot of an IndiGo flight from Bengaluru had reported a laser intrusion while coming in to land in Kolkata.
“Earlier the problem was faced only during festivals like Durga Puja, Kali Puja and New Year. But now, the problem is surfacing even during the marriage season,” an airport official said.
Directorate General of Civil Aviation mandates an 18.5 km-radius exclusion zone for laser lights around airports.