By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-01-09 14:04:56 | Updated at 2025-01-09 23:10:23
9 hours ago
Taiwanese authorities’ failure to identify and warn off a civilian plane that almost landed at one of the island’s most sensitive military airports by mistake has drawn intense criticism about security loopholes and war preparedness.
On Sunday, a pilot flying a DA-40 light aircraft from a Taiwanese flight academy mistook Chiashan Air Force Base for Hualien Airport, approaching an airbase runway for landing, the island’s air force said on Wednesday. The airbase is 2km (1.2 miles) away from the airport.
The pilot aborted the landing and left the area after he realised the mistake, the air force said, adding it had reported the incident to the Civil Aeronautics Administration to clarify the cause.
Taiwan’s air force has not provided additional details about the incident, nor has it explained how personnel at Chiashan Air Force Base and Hualien Airport handled the situation.
A report by the China Times on Wednesday said the light single-engine plane, flown by a Vietnamese pilot, got as close as 213 metres (700 feet) to the ground – deep inside the airport’s control zone – triggering a wave of criticism about security loopholes as tensions between mainland China and Taiwan soar.
Chiashan Air Force Base is one of the most important defence installations operated by Taiwan’s air force. It is home to extensive underground hangars for military equipment, including some of the island’s most capable F-16 fighter jets, according to Taiwanese media.
