Case · C-070

Hangzhou 2010: Xiaoshan airport closed because of a luminous object

Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport (Zhejiang) · China · Jul 7, 2010

In flight Pilots

What happened

On the evening of July 7, 2010, the crew and some passengers of an arriving flight reported a flashing luminous object southeast of the airport, and the authorities suspended takeoffs and landings from 20:45 to 21:41. A total of 18 flights were affected: six departing and twelve arriving, diverted to Nanjing, Ningbo, Nanchang and Wuxi. According to airport staff, the searches with radar and an aircraft sent to inspect the airspace found nothing anomalous and traffic resumed after security checks.

Proposed explanation

The authorities have not published an official identification. An anonymous source cited by the China News Service agency spoke of a probable private plane; according to an unnamed official cited by China Daily, the object had been identified but not disclosed because of a “military connection”; a joint group of UFO associations from Beijing and Shanghai concluded that it was probably a private or military aircraft and that the photos circulated online showed airplanes.

Official investigation

Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport and Chinese civil aviation authorities (air traffic control)

Sources

1. 萧山机场不明飞行物到底是什么？ (Hangzhou.com.cn / Dushi Kuaibao, July 9, 2010) (press)
2. 京沪UFO联合调查组发布初步结论 杭州萧山机场不明飞行物为飞机 (Hangzhou.com.cn, July 26, 2010) (press)
3. CNN, article on the sightings in China and the closure of Xiaoshan airport (July 2010) (press)
4. Deccan Herald (PTI): according to China Daily, the Hangzhou object has a “military connection” (July 9, 2010) (press)

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