Four flights landing at Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport in China this January had to land with unstable communication systems due to electromagnetic interference (EMI). The cause was not immediately known, but local authorities later identified the source of the interference as an illegal radio station.
Police tracked down the location of the illegal station and confiscated the radio transmitter. The EMI immediately disappeared and flight operations returned to normal. So-called “black radio” stations are an increasing trend in China. They broadcast at night, advertising drugs and other illegal activity, using the same frequency as flight communications.
