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Italy: Sharp rise in laser incidents to 1,189 in 2014

According to the Agenzia Nazionale per la Sicurezza del Volo, there were 1,189 reported laser-aircraft incidents in 2014, occurring at 35 Italian airports. This is up 34% from the 2013 figure of 885 incidents.

2010-2014 Italy laser incidents chart

80% of the cases involved aircraft on approach, 15% involved aircraft taking off, and 5% happened during cruise.

The commander of the border police said he has never been able to identify the laser perpetrators. The fact that incidents occur in the dark, “coupled with the fact that a laser pointer can be easily hidden, makes it impossible to identify those responsible, unlike those who throw stones from the flyover. We think they are guys who do not realize the severity of what they do."

From Corriere Della Sera. Thanks to Alberto Kellner Ongaro for bringing this to our attention.