Jet pilot distracted by laser beam while landing at Delhi airport

The pilot of Jet Airways flight 9W 643 (Lucknow to Delhi) said he was distracted by the laser beam while the plane was preparing to land on Runway 29, from the direction of National Highway 8, at the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Hours after a Kathmandu-bound Jet Airways flight with 111 people on board was delayed due to a bomb hoax, the pilot of another Jet flight complained of being distracted by a laser beam during landing at the Delhi airport on Monday.

Hours after a Kathmandu-bound Jet Airways flight with 111 people on board was delayed due to a bomb hoax, the pilot of another Jet flight complained of being distracted by a laser beam during landing at the Delhi airport on Monday. (AFP)

The pilot of Jet Airways flight 9W 643 (Lucknow to Delhi) said he was distracted by the laser beam while the plane was preparing to land on Runway 29, from the direction of National Highway 8, at the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

A similar incident had taken place in October last year also when an Air Vistara pilot had complained of getting distracted by a laser beam just before landing.

Airport officials said that laser beams were a major security threat for flights and the Delhi Police had been informed about Monday’s incident.

A senior Delhi Police officer said: “We are looking in to the incident and believe that someone from Vasant Kunj or around the area might have created this mischief. We are also in touch with the pilot-incommand”.

Delhi Police had earlier banned the use of laser lights around the airport after the Air Traffic Control reported numerous incidents of distraction of pilots by laser beam while they approached the runway to land. Such lights were regularly used at wedding venues around the airport.

“It is not just a source of nuisance but also a major threat to the safety and security of passengers/crew and aircraft,” the official added.