According to information from Cat Bi International Airport, on the evening of the 15th, 3 flight crews of some flights announced that they had observed unidentified flying objects near the flight path area when approaching and landing, temporarily affecting operations.
Immediately after receiving the information, Cat Bi International Airport activated the coordination process to ensure operational safety, and at the same time notified functional agencies to verify and trace the origin of the flying object. Forces of the Hai Phong City Military Command, local police and related units organized observation and zoning of the flight path area.
At 8:57 pm on the same day, functional forces identified the flying object as a kite released by people in Tien Lap village, An Khanh commune (former An Lao area), Hai Phong city. The kite was about 260 x 100 cm in size, attached with 14 sets of bamboo flutes and multi-colored flashing lights, flying at an altitude of about 400 m with a rope of about 900 m long. The exhibits were seized, functional agencies proceeded to make a record of handling according to regulations.
Due to the impact of the incident, four flights planned to land had to fly around waiting, then divert to land at Noi Bai, and two other flights had to wait to depart at Cat Bi airport.
After verifying and handling the flying object, Cat Bi International Airport announced that the runway situation returned to normal, and flights continued to operate according to plan.
By 00:30 on March 16, 2026, exploitation activities at the Port have been fully restored and safety is ensured.
During the handling of the incident, airlines and related units closely coordinated to serve passengers, broadcast announcements, support meals, drinking water and coordinate passengers in accordance with regulations.
Previously, similar incidents occurred at Da Nang International Airport on February 17 and 22, causing 54 flights to be delayed due to waiting for takeoff or landing.
From June 13-15, 2025, UAV equipment also appeared in the flight area at Tho Xuan Airport, forcing many flights to divert and the airport to temporarily suspend operations.
People are advised not to fly kites, flycams, UAVs or other flying objects near the airport area, especially in the flight path corridor, as they may threaten aviation safety and affect operations.
