Air traffic authorities have highlighted a decrease in laser attacks on aircraft, often aimed at disorienting pilots during landing maneuvers. But one major airport reported a double-digit increase, prompting concerns.
German Air Traffic Control (DFS) on Saturday said it had recorded a decrease in laser attacks against aircraft landing at airports across Germany during the first half of 2018, reported German broadcaster ARD.
DFS said it had recorded 113 laser attacks during the time period, down from 129 during the first half of 2017.
However, one airport witnessed a significant rise in laser attacks: at Frankfurt International Airport they doubled from 11 to 22 during the same period, DFS said. Munich, Hamburg and Stuttgart airports all reported a decrease.
A laser attack can potentially disorient pilots and even cause temporary loss of vision during critical maneuversImage: picture-alliance/Zuma Press/T. Sbampato
Laser attacks are when a person shines a laser at aircraft, typically when the pilots are attempting to land the plane. The attacks are especially dangerous for pilots, who could be disoriented or lose vision temporarily as a result of the glare from the laser.
"A few years ago, the laser attack was a hip prank for some young people," Janis Georg Schmitt, spokesman for the German pilots union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), told ARD. "The perpetrators must now be aware that they are consistently prosecuted."
If convicted, perpetrators face up to 10 years in prison.
Germans are major frequent fliers. In the first half of this year more than 55 million people departed from German airports, most of them going to international destinations. This despite many problems in the industry.
Image: Reuters/AAP/D. England
Big planes or really big double-decker planes
Germans are known as fearless globetrotters and the statistics prove it: the total number of airline passengers was up 6 percent to 55.2 million in the first half of this year compared with 2016. Of those travelers, 43 million flew to international destinations, while around 12 million stayed within Germany.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. Roessler
Decisions, decisions at the check-in kiosks
Within Europe the foreign destinations with the biggest growth were sunny places in the south. Travel to Cyprus increased by 78 percent, Greece by 20 percent and Portugal by nearly 16 percent. The biggest loser was Turkey. Though Germany has a large Turkish population, trips there were down by 9 percent.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. Roessler
Private plane with the registration 16+01
Not everyone has to wait in those pesky lines or take off their shoes and belt for security clearance. Here German Chancellor Angela Merkel leaves her 143 seat plane, the Konrad Adenauer. But don't be too jealous, the plane had been used by Lufthansa for 10 years before being picked up and refurbished in 2009.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/R.Jensen
Plain interior with legroom for everyone
Despite the fact that many people complain that seats and legroom are shrinking, there is hardly any other practical option to flying, especially to far away places. So far this year the number of people flying to Africa from Germany was up 28 percent, while the number of those going to the US was up nearly 7 percent.
Image: picture-alliance/Daniel Kalker
Gourmet bamboo now on the inflight menu
Not everyone is just flying out of Germany. In June, to great fanfare two giant pandas - Meng Meng and Jiao Qing - were flown to Berlin on a special chartered plane from China. The pair is on loan to the Berlin Zoo for 15 years. Yet at this point no one knows if the cuddly couple has already booked a return flight.
Image: picture alliance/ZUMAPRESS/Xinhua
Not as orderly as it may seem from the outside
Despite the growing number of passengers this year, German airlines have received a lot of criticism. In July, the European Court of Justice ruled that companies could not levy additional fees if passengers cancel flights. And in August, government officials demanded that the country's air passenger duty be scrapped.
Image: Reuters/M. Dalder
After a while they all start to look alike
Once you reach your destination there is no guarantee that your luggage will be there. Passengers of Air Berlin know this problem better than most and it's one of the reasons why Germany's second-biggest airline recently declared bankruptcy. At this point it is still unclear if the company will be taken over or split up.
