Laser strikes on aircraft: Caab efforts inadequate
Pilots of different airlines have warned that major accidents can happen because of people shining laser beams at aircraft during take-off and landing after dark.
They said the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh's measures are mostly confined to awareness campaigns that are not adequate to stop the laser strikes, which distract and dazzle their eyes.
In recent months pilots of local and foreign airlines have complained about recurring incidents of laser strikes on aircraft at the capital's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport almost every day, said Group Captain AHM Touhid-ul Ahsan, the immediate past executive director of HSIA.
He said although they do not have specific data, multiple incidents of laser strikes at aircraft at HSIA are happening every night.
"When a laser beam hits an aircraft windshield, tiny scratches and dirt on the windshield create a glare effect which spreads the light across the pilot's field of vision.
"This is a serious safety concern to us especially when the aircraft is in the sensitive takeoff or landing position," Touhid told The Daily Star recently.
Nazmul Hasan, the general secretary of Bangladesh Airlines Pilot Association (BAPA), said laser illumination in the cockpit may cause distraction, disruption, disorientation or, in worst-case scenarios, temporary operational incapacitation due to flash blindness.
Besides at HSIA, pilots said they often face laser beam strikes while landing in Chattogram -- the other airport of the country which operates night flights.
Caab's steps include raising awareness through sending text messages, placing advertisements in local cable TV networks and informing law enforcement agencies to identify the persons.
The pilots, however, stressed that the authorities need to take comprehensive and strict actions like finding the persons who shine the laser at the aircraft and bringing them to book.
"The laser strikes have reached such a level that a major accident could happen at any time," said Syed Nazmul Hasan, a senior pilot of national flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines.
"We need to pay special attention during landing of aircraft during night time due to visual limitations," said a pilot of US-Bangla Airlines, a private air operator.
Laser strikes at aircrafts are also common in different parts of the world.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, there were around 35,000 incidents of laser strikes on aircraft in the USA between 2016 and 2021. There is no specific data on the incidents in Bangladesh.
In Bangladesh, such activities are punishable under the Civil Aviation Authority Act-2017.
The law terms the laser strike a "threat" to aircraft operations and stipulates punishments like life imprisonment or a fine of Tk 5 crore.
There are however no instances of arrest or imposing fines for such crimes, said Touhid-ul Ahsan.
According to officials at HSIA, the laser is usually pointed from outside the premises, often from homes and hotels within a five-to-six-kilometre radius including Uttara, Nikunja, Ashulia and Savar, which is why they find it hard to take strict steps.
Duty officers at the Turag and Airport Police Stations said it is hard to detect persons involved in laser strikes as most often, they shine the laser from distant areas and flee by the time officials reach there.
A Biman pilot wishing anonymity said, "I keep my head down during landing in order to make sure the laser does not impact me. If the laser strikes your eye directly, it can cause either temporary or permanent vision damage."
He said the situation gets worse when two or three people coordinate to direct lasers from two or three different locations.Caab Chairman Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman said they are sincerely working to address the issue.
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