Laser pointer threat near Bali airport
The safety of tourists flying into Bali is at risk from the sale of laser pointers on a beach near the airport’s runway.
Each evening, along the popular Jimbaran beach restaurant strip, hawkers sell the devices for as little as $12.
Children run around flashing the laser pointers wildly.
The beach is just a few kilometres from the Denpasar airport – the third busiest in Indonesia.
About a million Australians travel to Indonesia each year and the majority visit Bali.
An Australian pilot with 40 years of experience, who has flown into Bali regularly, warns laser pointers pose an enormous safety risk.
The light can cause flash blindness that might take up to 25 seconds from which to recover, and is especially dangerous when pilots are approaching the airport.
What many people do not realise is that the beam disperses over a distance, the pilot says.
“The light is not just a little pinprick as they see it,” he tells AAP on the condition of anonymity.
“At a couple of kilometres it can illuminate the entire cockpit of the aircraft.”
Lives were at risk from the sale of laser pointers so close to the runway.
“I can guarantee there’s been incidents, but whether they’ve been reported is another matter,” the pilot says.
There is no means for pilots to protect themselves against laser pointers because they come in different colours and frequencies.
It’s also impractical to coat the windscreens of aircrafts to block myriad versions of pointers.
One hawker told AAP he didn’t think it was dangerous to be selling the products so close to the airport.
“No problems, no accidents,” Lalong said.
In Australia it is a criminal offence, attracting two years in jail and/or a fine up to $5500, to shine laser pointers at an aircraft.
There are also regulations about their importation.
Comment has been sought from Denpasar airport and the Indonesian Director General of Air Transport.
* The reporter travelled to Indonesia as part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs journalists visits program.
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