A New York-bound aircraft is the latest flight to be affected by a laser, after it was forced to turn back to London as a "precautionary measure" when the co-pilot was hit by a laser shone into the cockpit.
A message on Virgin Atlantic's status website said: "Following this incident, the First Officer reported feeling unwell. The decision was taken by both pilots to return to Heathrow rather than continue the transatlantic crossing."
The British Airline Pilots Association said aircraft were being attacked by lasers with ever-increasing strength “at an alarming rate" and that the problem was becoming "more and more urgent".
According to the Pilots' union, a laser can result in temporary vision loss associated with flash blindness, "visual interference that persists after the source of illumination has been removed", an after-image, "an image left in the visual field after exposure to a bright light", and glare.
It is understood the Virgin Atlantic aircraft, one of the latest flights to be affected by a laser, had passed over the west coast of Ireland before heading back to Heathrow.
Police said they were trying to find the source of the beam.
A Virgin Atlantic spokeswoman said the safety of the 15 crew members and 252 passengers on board the VS025 travelling from London Heathrow to New York JFK was "top priority".
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