Virgin Atlantic plane aborts flight after laser attack near Heathrow

Flight bound for Tel Aviv turns around over Paris and heads back to London

A laser beam was shone at the cockpit as the plane took off from London’s Heathrow Airport. Getty Images

The pilot of a Virgin Atlantic flight to Israel turned around after a laser beam was shone at the cockpit from the ground as the plane left London’s Heathrow Airport.

Flight VS453 bound for Tel Aviv turned around over Paris and landed back at Heathrow at 10.45pm on Monday as a “precautionary step”, the airline said. Passengers resumed their journeys on Tuesday.

"We swiftly notified the police and remain in close contact with them and the Civil Aviation Authority," the airline said.

The first case of a laser pointer being aimed at an aircraft was reported in 2004 and cases rose sharply, hitting a peak of nearly 2,000 incidents reported to the UK authorities in 2011.

The number of attacks fell to 775 in 2018, when authorities increased the penalties for those caught. New laws mean those who direct laser attacks at any sort of aircraft can be given an unlimited fine, imprisoned for five years, or both.

The pen-sized devices shine an intense light and can cause permanent damage to a pilot's eyesight, even at long distance.

A New York-bound Virgin Atlantic jet carrying about 250 passengers returned to Heathrow in 2016 after crew told air traffic controllers there was a “medical issue” with a pilot following a laser incident on take-off.

In July 2017, a UK airliner was targeted by a green laser on its approach to land, forcing one of the pilots to hand over control to his co-pilot. The pilot was considered temporarily unfit to fly after the incident.

Attacks are most common near large airports but have been reported on smaller aircraft where there is no potential hand-over if a pilot is incapacitated.