Tan Son Nhat Airport suspended flights twice over drone sightings: What happened behind the scenes?

Relevant agencies conducted a post-incident review on Wednesday, examining the timeline of communications, air traffic management decisions, and the deployment of response forces.

The meeting also focused on assessing the airport’s ability to detect and track unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and identify operators outside the airport perimeter.

Why was a second suspension necessary?

Speaking to Tuoi Tre (Youth) online newspaper after the review meeting, a representative of Tan Son Nhat International Airport said the coordination among agencies in responding to the incident was unprecedented, as this was the first recorded drone sighting in the airport's vicinity.

The disruption forced dozens of flights to turn back, enter holding patterns, delay takeoffs and landings, or divert to other airports. Three flights declared emergencies during the incident.

“Fortunately, all flights were handled safely thanks to close coordination among the agencies involved,” the representative said.

At 6:14 pm on August 11, flight 3S621 departed from runway 25L. Two minutes later, while climbing through about 1,800 feet, the crew reported spotting a drone approximately 500 meters to the right of the aircraft.

At nearly the same time, the crew of flight VJ601 from Cam Ranh to Ho Chi Minh City also reported seeing a drone while approaching runway 25R.

Both reports were immediately relayed to air traffic control.

Given the proximity of the drone to aircraft in critical phases of flight, controllers treated the situation as a direct threat to aviation safety and immediately suspended takeoffs and landings.

The airport simultaneously activated its airspace violation response plan.

After 60 minutes without any further reports, flight operations resumed at 7:16 pm in coordination with the Southern Airports Authority.

However, the reopening lasted only 18 minutes.

At 7:34 pm, Area Control Center III reported another drone approximately three kilometers west-southwest of the airport, prompting authorities to suspend takeoffs and landings again until 8:34 pm.. 

According to the airport representative, the response followed Decision No. 824/QD-CHK, issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) on April 24, 2026.

Under the regulation, any report of a drone operating in a sensitive area such as an airport must be treated as a credible threat until authorities can conclusively determine that it no longer poses a risk.

If the risk cannot be classified as low, it must be handled as a high-risk situation.

Runway operations may resume only after at least 60 minutes have passed without any new reports since the latest sighting.

The second alert therefore reset the safety countdown and triggered the procedure for a second time.

“The two suspensions were not the result of inconsistent assessments, but rather two separate activations of the same procedure triggered by new information,” the representative explained.

Tan Son Nhat Airport typically handles 44-46 takeoffs and landings per hour. The two operational suspensions forced dozens of aircraft to alter their flight plans and significantly disrupted airport operations on August 11.

Alternate airports absorb diverted flights

The suspension of flight operations immediately put pressure on inbound aircraft, forcing flight crews to assess fuel reserves, expected holding times, and diversion options.

Three flights, namely VN7393, VN525, and VN217, requested priority landing after fuel reserves fell to levels that no longer allowed extended holding, although none faced an immediate fuel emergency.

Of the 24 flights diverted during the disruption, at least five landed in Can Tho, while others were rerouted to Cam Ranh, Phu Quoc, Buon Ma Thuot, and Da Nang.

The receiving airports had to quickly arrange aircraft parking, ground-handling services, fuel supplies, baggage processing, and support for flight crews.

Can Tho and other alternate airports effectively served as a safety buffer, preventing aircraft from remaining in holding patterns around Ho Chi Minh City for prolonged periods.

Once Tan Son Nhat reopened, Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation, airlines, and alternate airports coordinated the return of diverted aircraft to avoid creating new bottlenecks.

According to preliminary reports, between 56 and 60 flights were affected, including 24 diversions, 18 flights placed in holding patterns, and 14 departures delayed on the ground.

Although normal operations resumed at 8:34 pm, the impact continued late into the night as aircraft rotations and crew schedules remained out of sequence.