HANOI (Vietnam News/Asia News Network): Many pilots at Noi Bai International Airport (NIA) have reported unmanned flying objects and sky lights posing a threat to flight safety recently, especially with the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching.
Statistics from NIA show that from the beginning of this year up to Monday (Sept 25), there have been three cases of straw burning, seven incidents of laser lighting, and 10 cases of kite and balloon flying.
Particularly, last Saturday, four flight crews reported detecting sky lights and unmanned flying objects while they were landing or taking off in Dong Anh and Soc Son districts.
Specifically, at 7:10 pm, flight BL6030 from HCM City to Hanoi detected a suspected unmanned flying object in front as it was entering the landing shaft 11L/29R at an altitude of about 1,200 feet, approximately four miles from the landing platform.
At 7:17pm, flight VN219 from Hanoi to HCM City spotted a suspected unmanned flying object on the right side of the plane during takeoff at an altitude of about 800 feet.
At 7:35 pm, flight VN836 from Siem Reap (Cambodia) to Hanoi spotted a skylight on the left side of the plane as it was entering the landing shaft 11L/29R at an altitude of about 1,000 feet, approximately four miles from the landing platform.
At 8:11pm, flight VN415 from Incheon (Korea) to Hanoi observed a skylight on the left side of the plane as it was entering the landing shaft 11L/29R at an altitude of about 1,000 feet, approximately four miles from the landing platform.
Leaders of NIA stated that, upon inspection, the local police in Thanh Xuan Commune, situated to the west of the runway, discovered that the commune was hosting a Mid-Autumn Festival for children with sky lanterns.
Furthermore, in Xuan Non Commune, located to the east of the runway, people were flying kites. The police issued warnings to the local residents and confiscated the kites.
To prevent similar cases, NIA has sent a request to the people's committees of communes adjacent to the airport. This request directs concerned units to warn everyone, especially young children, about the dangers of kites, sky lanterns, unmanned flying objects, and balloons for the sake of flight safety. These warnings are aimed at encouraging preventive measures.
Every year, NIA collaborates with the Northern Airports Authority and local authorities in areas adjacent to the airport to actively educate the public.
While the number of incidents has decreased, during festivals, people continue to use laser lights, sky lanterns, balloons, and kites, which violates air safety rules and poses a threat to flight safety and security, according to NIA's leaders.
NIA recommends that people strictly comply with regulations to ensure the safety of all flights and passengers.
NIA has also requested local authorities to tighten event organizer licensing requirements and to prohibit the use of high-power lighting systems in areas that could affect flights.
Local authorities need to take strict action against all organisations and individuals who have violated the rules.
Being the largest airport in the north, NIA handles, on average, more than 500 flights taking off and landing each day, serving over 80,000 departing and arriving passengers.
