Two flights struck by lasers at Kelowna airport

Two flights coming into Kelowna Airport have been hit by lasers in the last few days.

Kelowna Airport Director Sam Samaddar told iNFOnews.ca that an inbound flight on March 5 was struck by two lasers and another inbound flight two days later was also struck by a laser.

Samaddar described the incidents as "extremely dangerous."

One of the pilots involved did not feel comfortable continuing to fly afterwards and the flight was cancelled.

According to Kelowna RCMP there were 1,965 laser attacks reported to Transport Canada between January 2015 and the end of December 2019.

"These are disturbing statistics and it means the safety of pilots, crew and passengers have been put at risk during each laser attack," the RCMP said.

While the lasers are illegal in Canada, and just being caught with one in the vicinity of an airport can result in fines from $5,000 to $25,000, they are available to buy online.

Samaddar said pointing a laser at a couch can easily set it on fire.

The RCMP said the new generation of lasers can generate power of up to five watts or 5,000 times the power of keychain laser pointers.

The dangers include distracting the pilot and creating glare that affects the pilot’s vision and possibly temporarily blinding the pilot.

Anyone caught shining a laser at a plane could face a fine of $100,000 and five years in prison.

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