Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport: Unidentified Object Forces 90-Minute Shutdown
Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport was shut down for 90 minutes after an unidentified luminous object was detected, diverting 18 flights.
Background
On July 7, 2010, Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport in Zhejiang Province, China, was shut down for approximately 90 minutes after an unidentified luminous object was detected on radar and observed visually by airport staff.
Eighteen inbound flights were diverted to nearby airports including Ningbo and Wuxi, and numerous departures were delayed.
The Incident
The object was first detected around 8:40 p.m. by a flight crew preparing for descent, who notified air traffic control.
Aviation authorities responded quickly, grounding outbound flights and diverting inbound ones.
Normal operations resumed about an hour later.
Witness Accounts
Multiple witnesses, including pilots and ground crew, described a bright elongated object hovering in the airport's airspace.
Some witnesses captured photographs showing a luminous streak or comet-like trail.
Residents also reported seeing a glowing object with red and white rays of light less than an hour before the shutdown.
Investigation
The Civil Aviation Administration of China acknowledged the incident and stated an investigation was underway.
No official explanation was ever publicly released.
Researchers from UFO groups visited the site but found no evidence linking it to alien spacecraft, suggesting possible aircraft activity.
Significance
Chinese media extensively covered the event.
It became one of the most widely reported UFO incidents in modern Chinese history.
It is one of the few confirmed cases where a major international airport was shut down due to an unidentified aerial object.