Police probe illegal radio affecting Shanghai airports

An illegal radio which interfered with the main radio frequency of airport control towers was located and unplugged on Saturday afternoon.

This was the first time that an illegal radio had affected working of the airports in Shanghai.

Shanghai Radio Administration Bureau received a complaint from the East China Regional Administration of Civil Aviation Administration of China at 9:43am on Saturday that the interference started to affect air traffic control towers of Hongqiao International Airport and Pudong International Airport at the same time on Friday evening.

Due to the interference of “abnormal signals,” the control towers couldn’t communicate with air crews, which the administration feared could “significantly affect flight safety.”

Through its more than 20 radio monitoring stations distributed in all parts of the city, officials from the bureau located the suspicious illegal radio in a residential complex on Guowei Road, Yangpu District, after a few hours.

Together with the police, they entered an apartment on the 33rd floor at about 3:30pm. They didn't find anybody or anything in the apartment except a radio transmitter.

“The device probably has an effective radiated power of 1,000 watts, which is very powerful. And since it’s located on a higher floor, its signal can cover the entire city,” said Guo Feng, director of the radio monitoring department of Shanghai Radio Monitoring Station who was in charge on the scene.

This illegal radio first interfered with legal radio frequencies, and interactions of the two happened to cause disturbances to airport radio, according to the bureau.

Police are investigating the case.