Laser lights posing threat to flight operation at Mysuru Airport: Director
3 min read
Mysuru: Beam of laser lights are coming in the way of smooth operation of flights at Mysuru Airport at Mandakalli on Mysuru- Nanjangud road.
Director of Mysuru Airport J R Anoop himself has raised the complaint with the police about the menace of laser lights, the source of which is yet to be traced.
Reacting to www.mysoorunews.com, Anoop said “We have informed the police for initiating necessary action and they are on the job. However, we need to create public awareness, since this is adversely affecting safety of passengers aboard aircrafts.”
During the month of December 2023, a few incidents of interruption by the beam of laser lights beam were reported by the airlines operating within the vicinity of Mysuru Airport.
As on January 2, the passenger movement at Mysuru Airport was 271 with the arrival and departure of two flights in each direction. The Departure passengers were 134 in numbers
Effects of Laser lights
A laser beam has a potential to momentarily blind a pilot, leaving them incapacitated till the vision is restored.
This is a major safety hazard during critical phases of flight, such as landing and take-off.
Lasers are a source of collimated, monochromatic, coherent light that can travel long distances with very little loss of intensity. This coherent property is what allows a laser to maintain a narrow, high powered beam over long distances. Lasers are available in a variety of colours, intensities and power outputs. High Power Green lasers (5mW) are easily available in the open market at an affordable price. Green lasers are classified as more hazardous than other colour lasers.
Exposure to a strong laser light source can result in a flash blindness and afterimages. In flash blindness, the exposure to a very bright light source can deprive pilots of vision for a time period ranging from a few seconds to a few minutes. This may then be followed by afterimages, such as the yellow and purple dots seen after a flash photo. Subsequently, these afterimages will disappear in some time.
Civil Aviation Safety Regulatory Authority DGCA mandates to maintain a 25 Km Laser Beam protected Flight Zone (exclusion zone for laser lights) around the Mysuru Airport to prevent pilots from the laser beam incidents.
Under the Aircraft Rules 1937, it is a serious offence to interfere with the safe operation of an airplane, that also includes the flight crew. Hence, no person shall wilfully or negligently endanger or interfere with Aircraft Operations by any ground light or Laser Light.
As per the regulatory authority, Director General for Civil Aviations (DGCA), for the light and firework displays, the concerned organisers shall notify the Airport operator at least one month in advance to allow time to de-conflict or co-ordinate such activity, as well as to promulgate warnings through NOTAM to the aviation community and establish any other control measures if considered necessary.
To organise such events with laser light, an advance notification (minimum one month) needs to be given to Mysuru Airport for the implementation of necessary measures.
In the public interest, this is requested to all public residing in the proximity of Mysuru Airport (within 25 km) to abstain from operating or pointing laser beam towards aircrafts to avoid any incident/accident of the metal birds.
– Team Mysoorunews
Mysooru News
