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US Air Force flight to Antarctica turns back after space activity warning
CNN • • world
Key Points:
- A US Air Force flight from Christchurch to Antarctica turned back after New Zealand's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issued a NOTAM warning of "potentially hazardous" space activity notified by Russia's State Air Traffic Management Corporation.
- The Russian agency informed New Zealand of a planned missile launch posing a potential hazard within New Zealand's Oceanic Flight Information Region (FIR), a vast airspace covering 30 million square kilometers.
- The C-17 Globemaster III military flight departed Christchurch but returned approximately 150 minutes later, coinciding with the annual Winter Fly-in period for Antarctic supply and personnel transport.
- The CAA emphasized that the NOTAM serves as an alert for operators who then decide whether to fly through the warned area, noting limited control over international airspace where much of the FIR lies.
- The incident highlights coordination challenges in managing air traffic safety amid military and space activities over international waters in the Pacific and Tasman Sea regions.
