Police helicopter escorts flights to Leeds Bradford Airport after laser reports

A police helicopter was dispatched to escort flights into Leeds Bradford Airport after two aircraft were affected by lasers.

The airport confirmed two reports of lasers being used in the vicinity shortly before and after midnight on Tuesday, affecting flights operated by airline Jet2.

The reports came at 11.30pm on Tuesday and 12.48am on Wednesday.

A police helicopter, deployed by air traffic control service Nats, was dispatched to safely escort incoming flights.

No further instances were reported and the airport said it is working with the police.

A spokesman for Leeds Bradford Airport said: “We can confirm that two inbound flights reported a laser on approach to Leeds Bradford Airport last night.

“The necessary safety procedures were immediately activated, which resulted in air traffic control deploying a police helicopter to escort incoming flights.

“We can confirm that the airport is fully open and receiving flights.

“We are liaising with West Yorkshire Police regarding the incident and will continue to monitor the situation closely.”