Kolkata: A powerful laser directed skyward from somewhere around the airport beamed into the cockpit of an Air India flight and momentarily blinded the pilots as they were preparing to land at Kolkata airport on Thursday evening. The airline’s complaint to the airport operator was taken up with the airport police station.
According to airport officials, the pilot of flight AI 746 from Agartala to Kolkata encountered the problem when he was around 11 nautical miles or 20 km from the airport.According to the pilot, the beam of light appeared to originate somewhere southeast of New Town. There were 146 passengers and six crew members on board the aircraft that touched down at 8.10 pm on Thursday.
The incident has once again triggered alarm among airlines and pilots about the increasing instances of violation of restrictions imposed on use of lasers near the airport. Another such incident was reported by an IndiGo pilot on March 15. Last month, five such cases were reported by pilots.
“Laser intrusion is turning into a major menace at Kolkata airport. The matter was reported at the environment management committee meeting attended by Bengal home secretary Nandini Chakravorty. Since then, the problem has become more acute,” said an airline official.
While pilots earlier encountered the problem during festivals, like Durga Puja, Kali Puja and New Year, it has now been surfacing during the wedding season as well.
Though all the complaints have been forwarded to Bidhannagar City Police, officers said it was challenging to identify the locations from where laser beams are directed skyward.
“We had banned use of all laser beams earlier. But people need to be aware of the problem it poses and stop using it during ceremonies and festivals,” an officer said.