One of the three people involved in the kite-flying incident that disrupted flight operations at Tân Sơn Nhất Airport. Photo courtesy of HCMC Police Department.

HCM CITY — Three men have been detained after their kites, fitted with flashing lights, triggered a 13-minute suspension of all take-off and landing operations at Tân Sơn Nhất Airport on Thursday night

The incident at the Việt Nam's busiest air hub resulted in the disruption of 16 flights.

The men -- Thân Văn Tấn, 42, Tôn Văn Chinh, 47, and Trần Võ Hồng Phát, 26 -- reportedly released the kites from a vacant lot beside the Lazada company warehouse in Tân Bình Industrial Zone, Bình Hưng Hòa Ward.

In initial statements, the trio admitted to being members of the Facebook group "Anh em diều sáo TP. HCM" (HCM City Flute Kite Brothers) and said they regularly flew kites in the area.

Tấn also admitted to owning a camera drone, which he used to locate kites that had been lost.

Airport duty staff detected an object initially suspected to be a drone at 8pm near Tham Lương Bridge, Tây Thạnh Ward, to the west of the airport along the runway approach.

The Southern Airports Authority immediately ordered a halt to all operations to verify the situation and ensure flight safety, while police at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport co-ordinated a search that identified the suspicious objects as the three kites.

Flight operations resumed at 8.18pm, but the disruption affected 16 flights: eight were held waiting for take-off, seven were placed in holding patterns awaiting landing, and one was diverted to Cam Ranh Airport.

A representative of one airline said that although the interruption was brief, at a high-traffic airport such as Tân Sơn Nhất the costs went beyond fuel alone, encompassing ground handling, operational management and crew rostering.

The border police unit at the airport is co-ordinating with specialist units of the HCM City Police to assess damages, investigate the matter and propose penalties. Under Decrees 123/2021 and 17/2026, flying kites in restricted airspace may carry fines of up to VNĐ40 million (US$1,550).

The incident took place just two days after a serious UAV intrusion that caused delays to 70 flights also at Tân Sơn Nhất Airport, prompting aviation authorities to call for an early UAV detection and neutralisation system. VNS