China Airport UFO Incidents
On July 7, 2010, a UFO was detected over Hangzhou's Xiaoshan Airport, forcing the facility to close and divert 18 flights. Similar incidents occurred at other Chinese airports that summer. The Chinese government acknowledged the sightings but never publicly identified what had caused the closures.
In the summer of 2010, a series of UFO incidents forced multiple Chinese airports to suspend operations, creating an international news story and raising questions that remain unanswered today.
The Hangzhou Incident
On the evening of July 7, 2010, air traffic controllers at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport detected an unknown object in restricted airspace. Witnesses on the ground reported seeing a bright light hovering over the city, and photographs taken that night showed what appeared to be a glowing, cone-shaped object trailing a luminous tail.
The object was considered a sufficient safety threat that airport authorities made the extraordinary decision to close the facility entirely. Eighteen inbound flights were diverted to other airports, and operations remained suspended for approximately an hour until the object disappeared from radar and visual observation.
Witness Accounts
The sighting wasn’t limited to radar operators and pilots. Hundreds of residents in Hangzhou reported seeing the strange light, and many captured photographs and video footage. The object was described variously as a hovering ball of light, a comet-like form, and a structured craft with illuminated sections.
What struck many observers was the object’s behavior. It didn’t move like a conventional aircraft or a natural phenomenon. It hovered for extended periods, changed direction abruptly, and eventually simply vanished rather than flying out of the area.
Additional Chinese Incidents
The Hangzhou sighting was not isolated. That same summer, similar incidents occurred at airports across China:
- Chongqing Airport reported a similar UFO just days later
- Multiple airports in Inner Mongolia had unexplained closures
- Chinese media reported numerous additional civilian sightings
The Chinese government acknowledged the incidents but provided no explanation. State media initially suggested military exercises as a possible cause, but this was never confirmed, and no official identification was ever made public.
Significance
The Chinese airport UFO incidents are notable for their official confirmation and economic impact. Airport closures are extraordinarily rare and expensive - the decision to shut down a major international airport is never made lightly. That Chinese authorities deemed the unknown objects sufficient threats to warrant such action suggests they took the sightings very seriously indeed.
Sources
- [2010 Hangzhou UFO - Various International News Sources]