The Philippine Coast Guard says Chinese forces fired flares toward one of its unarmed surveillance aircraft during a maritime-domain-awareness mission over the disputed Spratly Islands on September 7, 2026.
Two flare incidents during one flight
According to the PCG, the aircraft was first challenged by radio near Subi Reef, known in the Philippines as Zamora Reef. Flares were then fired toward the aircraft. A similar episode was reported near Mischief Reef, or Panganiban Reef.
No injuries or aircraft damage were reported, and the Philippine crew continued the mission.
Philippines calls the behavior unsafe
PCG commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan said the use of flares endangered flight safety and argued that it was inconsistent with the “due regard” principle under the Chicago Convention.
What remains unconfirmed
At publication, AeroSillage had not identified a specific public Chinese response to the September 7 incident. The account therefore rests on the official Philippine report, which has been repeated by national media.
Why it matters
The incident comes amid repeated air and maritime confrontations in the South China Sea, especially around Chinese-held and Philippine-claimed features in the Spratlys. Even when no commercial aircraft is directly targeted, such encounters matter to civil aviation because airspace management, separation and communication must still protect non-military flights operating nearby.
Sources
Philippine Coast Guard / Philippine Information Agency; ABS-CBN News.
Related: Air traffic control: why one outage can disrupt thousands of flights, for a wider look at how disruption propagates through the network.
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