Netherlands: shining a laser at a plane will be a crime

[Benm]

For those following up on international rules and regulations, the Netherlands is likely to implement legislation specifically making it a crime to shine lasers at aircraft. Source article is here: FOK.nl / Nieuws / Vliegtuigen met laserpen beschijnen wordt strafbaar / FOK!frontpage

Translated (as literal as i can):

Shining lasers at aircraft to be punishable

Shining lasers at aircraft will be punishable. This is one of the measures that the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment Friday announced to increase aviation safety. Pilots are regularly interrupted in their work by people who shine laser pens at them.

The number of geese in and around Schiphol is reduced. Birds around airports can create dangerous situations if they are the engines of the circuit may occur.

The plans are part of the Aviation Policy 2011-2015. This is what the Netherlands will do in order to enhance aviation safety.



Commentary:

No punishment is mentioned, nor if this will be a felony or misdemeanor. Also, I think new legislation is not required since it is already a felony to endanger the lives of others, and lasering aircraft is covered perfectly well already by existing legislation.

 

[Toke]

Overlapping legislation is nothing new.
Maybe the purpose simply is to emphasise the point about pilots really not liking being blinded by lasers when near the ground.

Fine with me.

 

[Benm]

There is plenty of overlapping legislation indeed. Sometimes its useful, often it isn't - just makes the law books bigger.

I think its just part of a set of measures that are to improve safety at amsterdam airport, since the source also mentions controllig geese. Not that amsterdam is a dangerous airport at all, there have been only 2 deadly crashes in the last decades, none had to do with anything malfunctioning at the airport.