Background Information

• Concerns about the hazards to aviation caused by the use and misuse of lasers in navigable airspace (in particular for pilots during critical flight phases) date back to the 1990s.
• More recently, however, some Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSP) have also reported that ATC Towers (TWR)) have been illuminated by lasers.
• Lasers can easily be obtained via the Internet, even those that are recommended for professional use only. The devices are not inherently dangerous; however, when misused they may cause optical discomfort/injury and thus could compromise aviation safety.

Impact on ATS Operations

The physiological (visual) effects/hazards to pilots/ATC staff associated with laser illumination are:

• distraction;
• glare;
• temporary flash blindness;
• afterimage; and, possibly,
• eye injuries.

Laser illumination of ATC TWRs could compromise the provision of safe ATS on or in the vicinity of aerodromes. Airport operations could be disrupted/suspended if a laser illumination of an ATC TWR was prolonged and the source could not be eliminated.