Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport UFO — Airport Closed for 1 Hour (China, July 2010)

On 7 July 2010 at 20:40, an aircraft crew on approach to Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport (杭州萧山国际机场) spotted an unidentified object and reported it to air traffic control. Authorities responded within minutes: departures were halted and 18 incoming flights were diverted to the airports of Ningbo and Wuxi. Operations were suspended for over an hour.

DESCRIPTION OF THE OBJECT: Residents of Hangzhou photographed a hovering object emitting golden light with a comet-like tail during the afternoon before the incident. Shortly before the closure, additional witnesses saw a flying object radiating red and white light. Reddit analysis (2024): 'The length of the UFO should be 150–300m, and it was in the shape of a long strip. When it stayed above the airport, it was tilted forward — like it was scanning the runway.' The elongated, cigar-shaped object differs from conventional aircraft in terms of its size and light characteristics.

OFFICIAL RESPONSE: An investigation yielded no radar imagery of the object. The Chinese government stated, citing earlier incidents, that the lights had been military exercises. People's Daily Online: 'Investigation: UFO seen in Xiaoshan airport is aircraft — possibly military.' The investigation reached no definitive conclusion.

CONTEXT: This was one of at least 8 UFO incidents at Chinese airports between June and October 2010. ABC News, Xinhua, CCTV and international media reported on it. Ma Shijun (eyewitness): 'I felt a beam of light over my head. Looking up, I saw a streak of bright, white light flying across the sky.'

CRITICAL CONTEXT: The widely circulated photograph of the 'cigar-shaped UFO' was identified by several analysts as a long-exposure image of an aircraft. The circular lights in other photographs remained unexplained. Possible explanations: military tests, drones, long-exposure artefacts.