Thân Văn Tấn at the HCM City Police Investigation Security Agency. — Photo courtesy of the police

HCM CITY — Police have arrested a 42-year-old man accused of flying kites into the airspace corridor of HCM City’s Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, disrupting 16 flights and causing losses estimated at billions of đồng.

Thân Văn Tấn was detained on Friday by the HCM City Police for allegedly obstructing air traffic, an offence punishable under Article 278 of the Penal Code.

Police said the incident occurred on the evening of August 13 after they received reports that take-offs and landings at Tân Sơn Nhất were being affected by flying objects.

Airport security police and other units launched a search and identified three traditional Vietnamese flute kites fitted with flashing lights flying at an altitude of about 400m, inside the protected airspace corridor used by aircraft approaching the airport.

Tấn and two others were subsequently detained for questioning.

Investigators said Tấn owned the kites and was directly flying them from an open plot of land near Tân Bình Industrial Park in Bình Hưng Hòa Ward, about 2.5km from the airport.

The three men told police they were members of a Facebook group called “AE diều sáo TPHCM” and had gathered at the site to fly kites that evening.

The disruption lasted more than 10 minutes, affecting flights approaching Tân Sơn Nhất. Several aircraft flying from Pleiku in Gia Lai Province, Đà Nẵng and Cam Ranh in Khánh Hòa Province had to enter holding patterns in designated areas to ensure flight safety.

Authorities said the incident forced the airport to temporarily suspend aircraft arrivals and affected 16 flights, causing losses of several billion đồng.

Tân Sơn Nhất, located about 8km from central HCM City and surrounded by densely populated urban areas, has repeatedly faced disruptions caused by drones, kites and laser beams near its operational airspace.

In November 2025, an unmanned aerial vehicle entered the airport's restricted airspace twice, disrupting more than 100 flights and affecting more than 10,000 passengers.

Other Vietnamese airports have also experienced disruptions from flying objects. In June 2025, a drone was detected near Hà Nội’s Nội Bài International Airport, delaying 16 flights. — VNS