Qantas Warns of Radio Interference Caused by Chinese Warships | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-05.05.25

Airborne-NextGen-05.06.25

AirborneUnlimited-05.07.25

Airborne-Unlimited-05.01.25

AirborneUnlimited-05.02.25

Tue, Mar 21, 2023

Qantas Warns of Radio Interference Caused by Chinese Warships

Operators Conducting Flights Over South China Sea Cautioned

Australian flag carrier Queensland and Northern Territory Air Service (Qantas) has warned its pilots of radio interference and GPS jamming emanating from Chinese military vessels afloat on the South China Sea.

The Aussie air-carrier set forth that a number of its aircraft transitioning the vast body of water framed by China, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Borneo, and the Philippines have experienced interference on VHF channels "purporting to represent the Chinese military.” The reported interference, as of yet, has occasioned no safety issues. Pilots were instructed, however, to report incidents of signal interference to the region’s air traffic control agencies.

In a statement released the week of 12 March 2023, Australian and International Pilots Association president and Qantas captain Tony Lucas disclosed that interference had been detected. Captain Lucas remarked: "Our members are aware of recent reported communication and electronic interference. Qantas Group pilots are well trained and remain ready to manage these sorts of issues safely in accordance with defined procedures."

Earlier this month, the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) issued a statement confirming the Chinese interference. Subject statement urged pilots to refrain from responding to the warships, contending: "IFALPA has been made aware of some airline and military aircraft being called over 121.50 or 123.45 by military warships in the Pacific region, notably South China Sea, Philippine Sea, and the East Indian Ocean."

The statement continued: "IFALPA is engaging with IATA and Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) to ensure that all parties are aligned with our procedures and to prevent this from occurring in the future."

Tensions between China and Australia have been fraught in recent years. At a 13 March summit held at the U.S. Navy’s Naval Base San Diego, Australian leaders announced they would purchase as many as five U.S. nuclear-powered submarines and later build a new hybrid submarine model comprising an amalgam of U.S. and British technologies. The deal serves to modernize Australia’s naval fleet amidst growing concerns over China’s expanding influence in the Indo-Pacific region and the possibility of open war with Communist Shanghai.

FMI: www.qantas.com

Advertisement

More News

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (05.06.25)

Aero Linx: International Federation of Airworthiness (IFA) We aim to be the most internationally respected independent authority on the subject of Airworthiness. IFA uniquely combi>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (05.06.25): Ultrahigh Frequency (UHF)

Ultrahigh Frequency (UHF) The frequency band between 300 and 3,000 MHz. The bank of radio frequencies used for military air/ground voice communications. In some instances this may >[...]

ANN FAQ: Q&A 101

A Few Questions AND Answers To Help You Get MORE Out of ANN! 1) I forgot my password. How do I find it? 1) Easy... click here and give us your e-mail address--we'll send it to you >[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Virtual Reality Painting--PPG Leverages Technology for Training

From 2019 (YouTube Edition): Learning To Paint Without Getting Any On Your Hands PPG's Aerospace Coatings Academy is a tool designed to teach everything one needs to know about all>[...]

Airborne 05.02.25: Joby Crewed Milestone, Diamond Club, Canadian Pilot Insurance

Also: Sustainable Aircraft Test Put Aside, More Falcon 9 Ops, Wyoming ANG Rescue, Oreo Cookie Into Orbit Joby Aviation has reason to celebrate, recently completing its first full t>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC