Pilots furious after Government ditches crackdown on aircraft laser attacks
'The proposed tougher laws received cross-party support so it's baffling that they have been dropped'
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Your support makes all the difference.Airline pilots have expressed anger after a planned crackdown on aircraft laser attacks was dropped by the Government.
Earlier this year the Department for Transport announced its intention to introduce legislation meaning people who shine lasers at planes could be jailed or face hefty fines.
But this has not been included in the Government's legislative plans for the next two years.
It is already an offence to endanger aircraft by shining lasers at pilots, and offenders can be fined.
But under the bolstered plans, police were set to only have to prove the offence of shining the laser.
Some 1,258 laser attacks were reported on aircraft in the UK last year, according to the Civil Aviation Authority.
Brian Strutton, general secretary of airline pilots' union Balpa, said: "It is infuriating to see the changes we'd hoped for appear to have been discarded.
"Not having this legislation is dangerous and puts the lives of passengers and crew at risk.
"The proposed tougher laws received cross-party support so it's baffling that they have been dropped.
"When a laser pen is pointed at an aircraft it can dazzle and distract the pilot, and has the potential to cause a crash.
"Last year's incident figures remain dangerously high, with the equivalent of more than three laser attacks a day across the UK."
A Government spokeswoman said: "Safety is our top priority.
"Shining a laser at an aircraft in flight could pose a serious safety risk and it is already a criminal offence to do so.
"Anyone found guilty could be liable to a fine, up to a maximum of £2,500."
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