Russian air transport regulator Rosaviatsiya noted on Wednesday an increase in cases of pilots being blinded by laser pens during landing at Russian airports, with 30 such incidents registered this year.

Only five cases were registered in 2010.

A pilot was blinded by a laser pen while landing a Boeing passenger plane in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on Wednesday morning, but managed to land safely.

Investigators have established that the laser beam was coming from the area of a local market.

The watchdog said laser pens constitute a significant threat to flight safety as they cause the pilot to lose special awareness.

Earlier this week a pilot of an Airbus A320 plane was blinded by a laser light during landing at the same airport.

MOSCOW, June 8 (RIA Novosti)