Mexico City: The Alitalia plane with Pope Francis on board was hit by a laser light as it prepared to land in Mexico City International Airport.
Flight AZ4000 that came from Havana, Cuba, managed to land safely on February 12. No one in the plane was injured by the beam, according to Alitalia.
The Vatican said it didn’t even know until later about lasers pointed at the aircraft. Alitalia confirmed on Wednesday that Captain Massimiliano Marselli alerted the control tower about what his crew had seen from the air, which the airline called “standard procedure with these type of matters” in a statement.
It’s unclear whether the Pope Francis’ plane was specifically targeted, reports aviationcv.com.
Local media noted that “several other pilots in the area also reported laser strikes.”
Officials around the world have been increasingly concerned about people training laser pointers on jetliners. In some cases, crewmembers have suffered eye damage.
Laser strikes have become more and more common over the last decade in part due to the fact handheld lasers have become more common and affordable. According to USA Today the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) logged a record total of 7,153 laser strikes in the US in 2015 through December 11.
Laser beams can create flash blindness in pilots and can endanger the flight.
“Shining a laser into the cockpit of an aircraft is a serious safety risk,” one-time FAA (Federal Avian Administration) Administrator Randy Babbitt has said. “Lasers can distract or temporarily blind pilots who are trying to fly safely to their destinations and could compromise the safety of hundreds of passengers.”
It is so dangerous that the FBI is now offering a $10,000 reward for information involving people who shine lasers at planes. In the US, people caught pointing a laser at a plane can face up to 20 years in prison or a $25,000 fine.
The Pope wrapped up his Mexico trip on February 17 with a visit in a Ciudad Juarez prison.
He also met with Mexican workers, grassroots groups and employers in an encounter where he repeated the need for dignified work for all and “land, labor and lodging.”
The pope makes a point of going to prisons on nearly every foreign trip, part of his longtime ministry to inmates and his belief that the lowest in society deserve dignity.
He has denounced abuse of pre-trial detention, called life sentences a “hidden death penalty” and urged a worldwide end to capital punishment. As pope, he continues to check in with Argentine prisoners he ministered to as archbishop of Buenos Aires.
In his penitentiary encounters, Francis often urges inmates not to give up hope, telling them that he, too, has sinned and been forgiven. He criticizes prison overcrowding, the slow pace of justice and lack of rehabilitation.