By Renju Jose and Lucy Craymer
SYDNEY/WELLINGTON (Reuters) โ A Virgin Australia pilot alerted Australian authorities about a live-fire drill by Chinese naval ships last week in the Tasman Sea that forced 49 flights to change their paths, Australiaโs air traffic control agency head told a parliamentary committee.
Airlines including Qantas, Emirates, Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia modified flight paths on Friday after China warned them about a rare live-fire exercise in international waters between Australia and New Zealand.
Both countries have raised concerns with China saying they did not receive adequate notice from Chinaโs navy about the military exercise off Australiaโs New South Wales coast.
Pilots are typically alerted to military drills, rocket launches and other issues that can affect airspace through Notices to Airmen, or NOTAMs, which are usually filed at least 24 hours in advance of such an event.
Airservices Australia CEO Rob Sharp told a parliamentary hearing late on Monday that a Virgin Australia pilot informed his agency that the Chinese navy planned to conduct a firing drill 300 nautical miles (483 km) off Australiaโs east coast.
โSo that was how we first found out about the issue,โ he said.
Virgin Australia declined to comment.
The message from the Chinese was broadcast on an emergency radio channel monitored mostly by pilots and was then relayed to air traffic control officials, prompting them to issue an immediate warning for commercial airlines and set up an exclusion zone, Sharpโs deputy Peter Curran said.
The live-fire drill could have started about 30 minutes before the Virgin Australia pilot first heard the message, and Australiaโs defence operations command was notified 10 minutes after air traffic control received it, Curran said.
The French defence forces, which conduct military drills near their territories in the Pacific, usually inform Australian air traffic 24 to 48 hours in advance, he added.
A Peopleโs Liberation Army Navy frigate, cruiser and replenishment vessel entered Australiaโs maritime approaches, and travelled down Australiaโs east coast last week.
Chinaโs defence ministry said on Sunday it had issued repeated safety notices in advance, and that its actions complied with international law and did not affect aviation flight safety.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese deflected a reporterโs question about whether he was concerned a commercial pilot had to alert about the warnings from the Chinese navy task force.
โAustralian defence were certainly aware and Iโve spoken with the chief of the defence force about what has occurred. Australia has had frigates both monitoring by sea and by air of the presence in the region of these Chinese vessels,โ Albanese told reporters on Tuesday.
Australiaโs defence department and the defence ministerโs office did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.
New Zealandโs military said on Tuesday the Chinese ships were currently 218 nautical miles east of Tasmaniaโs state capital, Hobart.
(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney and Lucy Craymer in Wellington; Editing by Jamie Freed)
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