Laser beam hits pilot's eyes, flight landing delayed; probe launched

KOLKATA: A Malaysia Airlines flight was forced to delay its landing in Kolkata after a laser beam hit the pilot's eyes. The incident happened as the flight was preparing to land at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport.

The MH-184 flight was carrying 159 passengers from Kuala Lumpur. It was scheduled to land at around 11.20 pm yesterday. The laser beam reportedly came from the Madhyamgram-Barasat area and hit the pilot's eyes when the aircraft was about 8 nautical miles from the runway. The pilot's vision was affected, making it difficult to land at the scheduled time.

The aircraft then circled in the air for some time before making another landing attempt. It landed safely at around 11.25 pm. All passengers and crew members were safe, officials said.

Following the incident, airline officials filed a complaint with the Kolkata airport police station.

Kolkata airport director Vikram Singh said the use of laser lights around airports is prohibited. He said such incidents continue to affect flight operations.

This is not the first time pilots have complained about laser beams affecting their vision during landing and take-off. Airport police have launched an investigation into the incident.