Reported by Lisa Barrington
SEOUL (Reuters) – Airline pilots were caught off guard last week when they received unexpected messages regarding a live-fire naval exercise conducted by China near Australia. These messages led some pilots to alter their flight paths through a busy air corridor, as seen in satellite text messages exchanged with Reuters.
This incident underscores the growing trend of airlines having to quickly respond to geopolitical disruptions and military threats, such as missile and drone activities observed between Israel and Iran in the past. Analysts from Western defense agencies have noted that China’s military maneuvers in the Tasman Sea, situated between Australia and New Zealand, are escalating tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly in the vicinity of Taiwan.
While China maintains that it provided proper notification to Australian and New Zealand authorities about the exercise, the situation unfolded in an unexpected manner for pilots. A Virgin Australia pilot was the first to pick up a Chinese navy broadcast on the 121.5 MHz emergency radio channel, raising concerns among air traffic controllers and military personnel in Australia.
Following the pilot’s report, hazard alerts were issued to nearby aircraft, including a Singapore Airlines flight and an Air New Zealand flight. The Air New Zealand pilots confirmed the presence of Chinese military chatter on the radio, prompting ground personnel to inform them about an unannounced live firing exercise conducted by China in the Tasman Sea.
The use of an Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) facilitated the communication between aircraft and ground stations regarding the incident. While China’s exercise fell within international legal boundaries, Australian and New Zealand authorities criticized the lack of adequate notification protocols.
In a parliamentary hearing, Australia’s defense force chief Admiral David Johnston deemed China’s actions as “irresponsible” for not adhering to best practices in notifying neighboring countries about military exercises. The absence of a formal Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) for the Chinese exercise raised concerns among pilots, emphasizing the need for improved communication and coordination in airspaces affected by military activities.
“Didn’t hear any of that,” an airline dispatcher communicated to two American Airlines flights en route to Sydney and Brisbane from the U.S. at 3:37 a.m. and 3:39 a.m. on Saturday morning.
Steve Cornell, a Qantas captain and vice president of the Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA), highlighted that the unexpected incident would have significantly increased the workload on pilots and air traffic control.
“The issue with this one was the short notice, or no notice effectively, really,” Cornell informed Reuters. “All of a sudden, it came to the attention of the pilots, and they had to self-manage maneuvering around this zone.”
Routings for 49 flights were altered last Friday, as per Airservices.
Eight hours after Airservices was first made aware of the live-fire warning, air traffic issued a hazard alert to an Emirates flight from Christchurch to Sydney, stating they had “reports that the activity has finished.”
However, a second live-fire warning was issued on Saturday afternoon, as reported by New Zealand’s defense ministry.
On Sunday, an airline dispatcher informed a Virgin Australia flight, about to depart Queenstown, New Zealand for Brisbane, saying, “FYI the govt has confirmed Chinese navy now well south in the Southern Ocean.”
The ships are currently positioned south of Australia and are heading west, New Zealand’s military disclosed on Friday.
(Reporting by Lisa Barrington; Additional reporting by Alasdair Pal in Sydney; Editing by Jamie Freed)
