UTair airline has become the latest victim of increasing cases of 'hooliganistic' laser attacks on pilots in Russia, forcing the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency (Russian Aviation) to express serious concern over the increasing incidences of blinding pilots with laser beams. “In 2010-2011, we recorded numerous cases of blinding civil aircraft crews with laser beams. In the second half of 2010, we recorded five such incidents, and over 30 since the beginning of 2011. So far, the sources of these radar radiations have yet to be identified,” the agency said. The highest number of incidents occurred near Moscow’s Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo and Rostov-on-Don airports.
The latest incident occurred in mid-June in Rostov-on-Don, when the crew of UTair airline's B737 was blinded on its approach to the local airport. “In this regard, we are appealing to all organizations and citizens to stop using such powerful sources of radiation to illuminate aircraft as they pose real threat to flight safety,” the agency noted.
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