According to the regulations of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), aircraft flying into controlled airspace must submit a flight notification, but China does not do so.

On January 8, Mr. Lai Xuan Thanh, Director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, said that from January 1 to the morning of January 8, China continuously conducted many flights through the Ho Chi Minh Flight Information Region (Ho Chi Minh FIR) to the Cross Reef (part of Vietnam's Truong Sa archipelago), ignoring all regulations and rules of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) related to flight operations.

According to Mr. Lai Xuan Thanh, from December 28, 2015 until now, Vietnam's aviation management agencies have not received any flight notifications from China regarding the flight activities of aircraft flying illegally to Vietnam's Da Chu Thap island.

Mr. Lai Xuan Thanh pointed out the area where Chinese aircraft operate in the Ho Chi Minh City FIR, in defiance of international aviation regulations and principles. Photo: MINH ANH/Nguoi lao dong

According to Mr. Lai Xuan Thanh, the activities of the above Chinese aircraft violated ICAO regulations in Appendix 2, Section 3.3, Appendix 11, Section 2.6, Appendix 4; Aeronautical Information Bulletin, Part ENR, Section 1.4 of Vietnam (AIP Vietnam ENR).

“The aircraft flew higher than the minimum flight level but did not submit flight plans to Vietnam’s air traffic services. The aircraft also did not establish voice communication with the Ho Chi Minh City Long-range Flight Control Center, causing serious impacts and threatening the safety of flight operations in the area,” said Mr. Thanh.

Specifically, from January 1 to January 8, China has conducted 46 consecutive flights into and across the Ho Chi Minh City flight information region managed by Vietnam to encroach on Vietnam's Truong Sa and Hoang Sa archipelagos. Of which, on January 6, 2 large Chinese civilian aircraft landed at the airport that China illegally built on the Cross Reef in Vietnam's Truong Sa archipelago. Six days ago, China conducted test flights.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam said that this was a newly discovered incident and had never happened in recent years. After receiving information about the Chinese aircraft, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam notified the International Civil Aviation Organization to find solutions for aircraft that threatened flight safety, and at the same time notified countries in the region to coordinate in warning and protesting China's violation of aviation safety.

Also on January 7, a representative of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs met with a representative of the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi and handed over a diplomatic note of protest regarding the landing of two large Chinese civilian aircraft on January 6 at the airport that China illegally built on Cross Reef in Vietnam's Truong Sa archipelago.

In response to China's actions, many governments and international press have in recent days voiced their opposition, saying that this action further increases tension and instability in the region.

According to VOV