Large LED-fitted kites flying at night near Tân Sơn Nhất Airport forced numerous flights to circle in a holding pattern, with several others unable to take off. — Photo tuoitre.vn

HCM CITY — Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport was forced to suspend take-off and landing operations for about 13 minutes on Thursday evening after three large, illuminated kites were found flying at an altitude of about 400m near the airfield, the Civil Aviation Authority of Việt Nam has confirmed.

The incident came just 48 hours after a more serious disruption on Tuesday evening, when an unauthorised unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) twice forced the airport to halt operations for two hours, affecting more than 60 flights.

According to the aviation authority, at about 7.40pm on August 13 the Area Flight Management and Operations Centre No. 3 (Air Defence and Air Force) notified the Tân Sơn Nhất Approach Control Centre that an object suspected to be a UAV had been detected near Tham Lương Bridge. The precise location and altitude of the object had not yet been determined at that point.

At about 8.02pm, updated information identified the object as operating in the Tây Thạnh ward area.

Faced with a potential threat to flight safety, the Southern Airports Authority ordered a full suspension of all take-off and landing operations to allow competent authorities to carry out verification.

From 8.05pm, departing flights were held on the ground while inbound aircraft were placed in holding patterns. On investigation, authorities established that the object was not a UAV but three large kites fitted with lights, which members of the public had been flying at about 400 metres in the Tây Thạnh ward area, approximately 2.5km from the airport.

Once the kite-flying was stopped, Tân Sơn Nhất resumed normal operations at 8.18pm.

Although the suspension was brief, four flights were held awaiting departure, seven inbound flights were placed in holding patterns and one flight was forced to divert to Cam Ranh Airport.

Competent authorities later identified the person responsible for flying the kites, seized the equipment and proceeded with action in accordance with regulations.

For a high-traffic airport such as Tân Sơn Nhất, even a short suspension carries consequences beyond the flights immediately affected. Aircraft placed in holding patterns or diverted may incur additional fuel costs, ground handling expenses and operational management outlays, as well as crew rostering disruptions, while also generating knock-on delays for subsequent flight schedules. — VNS