A plane carrying the Pope to Mexico City was targeted by a laser beam pointed from the ground, the airline has confirmed.

Pope Francis was headed to the city - Mexico's capital - from Cuba on Friday to kick off a five-day pilgrimage to the country.

A spokeswoman for Alitalia Airlines told ITV News that as the papal plane, an Airbus 330, was approaching the airport the cockpit crew noticed a laser light being directed towards them.

Other flights headed in to Mexico City also reported the beam, she said.

"The aircraft's captain, Massimiliano Marselli, promptly reported to the control tower what the cockpit crew had witnessed, which is standard procedure with these type of matters," she said.

Read: The dangers: What happens when a laser is beamed at a pilot?

The Pope visited Mexico for a five-day pilgrimage Credit: Reuters

"Similarly, it is usual practice for the control tower to alert the competent, local authorities."

The aircraft landed safely, she added, and nobody was injured.

It comes after a Virgin Atlantic plane bound for New York was forced to return to London Heathrow after a laser dazzled one of the pilots.

It carries a potential prison sentence in the UK, while in the US the FBI offers a $10,000 (£6,996) reward for information about people who shine lasers at planes, with a prison sentence of up to 20 years for those convicted.