A passenger plane en route from Brussels to Helsinki was illuminated with a green laser beam on Tuesday evening as it flew over Halland.

The Civil Aviation Authority's control center in Malmö has now reported the incident to the police and LFV's press officer, Per Fröberg, is taking the incident seriously.

It all happened at half past eight on Tuesday evening. The aircraft was at an altitude of 12,000 meters somewhere between Varberg and Falkenberg.

– It is a serious violation of the Aviation Act. Anyone who does this exposes pilots and passengers to a major safety risk, especially during takeoff and landing. The pilot can be dazzled and the beam is dangerous to the eyes, says Per Fröberg.

Not the first time
The plane continued its flight to Helsinki and when it had landed, the pilots contacted the Civil Aviation Authority. The control center in Malmö then filed a police report, as they were the ones who had contact with the plane at the time of the actual crime.

This is not the first time that an aircraft has been illuminated with a green laser. In 2017, 58 cases were reported in Swedish airspace. However, the number dropped in 2018. At that time, it was 35 cases, according to Per Fröberg.

Stronger laser
– I've never heard of it leading to a crash, but something like this shouldn't happen at all considering that it exposes people to such great danger, he says, adding that lasers have become increasingly powerful over the years.

No injuries to either pilots or passengers were reported in connection with the incident on Wednesday night.

Source: svt.se