Airservices Australia has announced that a Virgin Australia pilot was the first to detect three Chinese warships off Australia’s east coast last week. The vessels, which include a frigate, a cruiser, and a replenishment ship, were located approximately 150 nautical miles from Sydney in the Tasman Sea on Friday morning.
The Chinese government confirmed that these ships were conducting live-fire exercises in international waters. Airservices Australia CEO Rob Sharpe reported to the Senate that the alert regarding the presence of the warships came at 9:58 AM, initiated by the Virgin Australia flight that informed air traffic control that a foreign warship had communicated its live-firing activities.
Deputy CEO Peter Curran explained that while air traffic controllers typically do not monitor international guard frequencies, pilots do, which is how the information was relayed to them. A hazard alert was issued to flights in the vicinity within two minutes of the report, and the Australian Defence Force was notified promptly thereafter. At that time, there was uncertainty regarding whether the report was legitimate or a hoax.
By 10:18 AM, an Emirates flight communicated with the Chinese warships and confirmed they were indeed conducting live-firing drills. In light of this information, air traffic controllers rerouted 49 flights, affecting both those already in the air and those planned to depart. This precautionary measure continued throughout the weekend until the Chinese vessels had moved further south, away from the active airspace.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressed concerns about the Virgin Australia pilot being the initial informant during a press conference, asserting that Defence was fully aware of the ships’ presence. He affirmed that Australian frigates were monitoring the situation both at sea and from the air. While acknowledging that China’s actions were within international law, Foreign Minister Penny Wong raised issues regarding the transparency of the military exercises being conducted.
Overall, the incident has heightened focus on maritime security, as the Australian government navigates the implications of foreign military activities in the region.