New Delhi: Pilots flying a Cathay Pacific flight into Delhi earlier this year reported being briefly blinded by high-intensity laser beams during the final approach, underscoring a rise in such incidents that threaten aviation safety at a time of booming air travel.
The crew of flight CX695 from Hong Kong flagged the episode after landing safely at Indira Gandhi International Airport in February, saying the glare impaired their ability to read cockpit instruments at a critical stage. A safety report was subsequently filed with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and the matter was later raised in Parliament.
Laser strikes near Indian airports have jumped sharply, rising from 122 cases in 2023 to over 500 in 2025, data tabled in Parliament show. The incidents pose a direct safety risk to pilots and highlight weak enforcement of rules that strictly prohibit such activity that endangers life or safety.
As per data, 502 laser-related disruptions were reported across 22 airports in 2025, slightly lower than the 528 incidents recorded in 2024. Nearly 30% of the laser beam incidents were reported from Delhi in 2025, with incidents rising from 110 in 2023 to 144 in 2024 and 147 in 2025.
Mumbai, which had reported no such cases in 2023, recorded 17 incidents in 2024 and 33 in 2025. While Chennai and Kolkata reported declines between 2024 and 2025—from 67 to 54 and 72 to 44 respectively, both airports logged zero incidents two years earlier.
The issue is not confined to large hubs. Smaller airports such as Ahmedabad, Bhopal and Kochi have also reported fresh spikes, ranging from roughly 50% to more than 150% between 2024 and 2025.
Under India’s aviation safety norms, areas extending up to about 18.5 km from an airport fall within designated laser-restricted zones. However, enforcement is largely dependent on local police.
Responding to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha on 12 March, junior civil aviation minister Murlidhar Mohol said “Rule 66 of the Aircraft Rules, 1937 restricts the display of laser lights or any other lights which may dazzle or distract pilots or otherwise interfere with aircraft operations.”
“DGCA has published CAR (civil aviation requirements) which prescribe requirements for protecting aircraft operations against the hazardous effects of laser emitters around airports, including the establishment of protected zones to mitigate risks arising from laser emissions,” he said.
Experts said stronger policing is needed to deter offenders and stop repeat violations. “The government has been struggling with this problem; its solutions are no match until policing systems get tougher,” said Sanjay Lazar, aviation expert and chief executive of Avialaz Consulting.
The DGCA and the ministry of civil aviation are yet to respond to queries from Mint.
Laser exposure during critical phases such as landing and take-off can cause temporary flash blindness or glare, affecting pilots’ ability to read cockpit displays or maintain visual contact with runway approach lights. Even brief impairment during these phases can raise the risk of operational errors.
In India, such acts are prosecuted under broader criminal provisions rather than a dedicated aviation offence. Section 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita recommends penalties for acts that endanger human life or safety, including laser dazzling of aircraft.
Globally, aviation regulators treat laser strikes as a serious safety concern. In the US, the Federal Aviation Administration recorded 10,994 laser strike incidents reported by pilots in 2025, down 14% from the previous year. It has reported 337 pilot injuries linked to laser exposure since it began tracking cases in 2010.
International guidelines call for layered protection zones around airports with progressively tighter restrictions closer to flight paths. India has adopted similar norms, though implementation remains uneven.