3 questioned after kite incident disrupts operations at Tan Son Nhat Airport

Local police said on Friday that they were coordinating with relevant agencies to assess the impact of the incident and determine responsibility.

At around 8:00 pm on Thursday, airport authorities detected an object suspected to be a drone near Tham Luong Bridge, west of the airport.

As a precaution, the Southern Airports Authority ordered a temporary halt to takeoffs and landings.

A subsequent investigation found that the object was not a drone but three kites fitted with flashing lights, launched from a vacant lot inside Tan Binh Industrial Park in Binh Hung Hoa Ward.

Authorities later summoned three people for questioning, including a 42 year-old person, who admitted owning the kites.

The person told investigators he had also used a drone to search for kites that had gone missing.

According to a preliminary report, the 13-minute suspension delayed eight departing flights and affected seven arriving services.

Vietnam Airlines flight VN595 was diverted to Cam Ranh Airport in south-central Khanh Hoa Province.

The incident occurred just two days after Tan Son Nhat was forced to suspend flight operations twice because of drone sightings near the airport, affecting between 60 and 100 flights.