Airservices Australia notified Australian defence force about drills 10 minutes after initial contact with pilot, estimates hears
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Australian officials did not know Chinese warships were conducting live-fire drills in the Tasman Sea until a Virgin commercial pilot alerted aviation authorities half an hour after they had begun.
Officials from Airservices Australia, the agency responsible for aviation safety, told a Senate estimates hearing on Monday night that it was first informed of the live-fire drill at 9.58am on Friday morning, when a Virgin pilot was informed by the Chinese navy flotilla by radio.
