The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore has highlighted laser lights like pointers as an increasing safety concern for aircraft landing and taking off at Changi Airport, local media reported on Friday.

There has been an increasing number of laser lights being shone at aircraft landing and taking off in recent years, the authority said.

Laser lights can distract pilots and compromise aviation safety, it added.

It said that there have been 16 such incidents in the first quarter of this year alone at Changi Airport.

The number was five for the whole year in 2009, and increased to 45 in 2012. There were 25 such incidents in 2013. The authority said the increase is attributable to more affordable and widespread use of handheld lasers.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore has launched a campaign to raise public awareness, targeting households near the airport with circulars distributed, the Straits Times reported.

There are also regular enforcement patrols in the area. Under the Singapore Air Navigation Order, any person found directing laser lights at an aircraft could face a fine of up to 20,000 Singapore dollars (16,000 U.S. dollars).

"These reports are getting more and more frequent," said Peter Rabot, head of air navigation services at the safety and security branch of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore.

Aviation experts believe the likelihood of such incidents leading to an accident is remote, but authority is not taking any chances.

The use of the pen-like battery-operated devices is regulated by the National Environment Agency and classified based on their beam power output. Licenses are required to import, possess and use very powerful lasers. But even less powerful laser pointers can be dangerous if used wrongly, the agency said.

"Even at a very low power of 5 milliwatts, when the laser is aimed directly at the eye, it will cause temporary flash blindness, " it said on its website.

A split-second brief exposure from such lasers is not likely to cause permanent injury immediately because the eye will blink and move to avoid the beam, but it can lead to visual loss in later years. Endi

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)