In 60 seconds
Lights were closing airports in Asia long before Europe: Hangzhou in 2010 and Imphal in 2023, with Gimhae and Taiwan's CCK in 2026 following Europe's wave of 2025. Over the same years the official word changed from "unidentified flying object" to "drone".
The claim, in our words · Our reading across 10 records
“Airport closures started in Asia, and the word for what closed them moved from "UFO" to "drone".”
How it branched
Each line is a branch, named at its end. Dots are the key moments below.
Seen, not closed
Montréal and O'Hare.
“An unidentified flying object was seen near the Imphal airfield just above the ATC Tower.”
V.K. Singh, Indian Minister of State, Lok Sabha, 2023
Key moments
Asia closes
Hangzhou, Lima, Italy's logs, Imphal.
“No conclusion has yet been drawn.”
Wang Jian, Head of air traffic control, Zhejiang, 2010
Key moments
The drone wave
Europe, Korea, Australia and Taiwan.
Key moments
All 10 events, branch by branch, in the Workspace →