Airship

China's Foreign Ministry said Friday that a balloon the U.S. suspects of conducting surveillance was a civilian "airship" used for research, mainly meteorological purposes.

The statement said the airship has limited steering capability and "deviated far from its planned course" because of winds.

It said China regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace.

A C-27J Spartan airship of the Romanian Air Force took off at 9.00 a.m. on Saturday from Otopeni Air Base 90, heading for Spain, transporting 90,000 FFP-type protection masks, the Ministry of National Defence reported.

A blimp that the European Union's monitoring agency Frontex has given to Greece to help monitor migrant trafficking across the Aegean was tested on Tuesday.

The blimp, which is to be at the Hellenic Coast Guard's disposal for the next 28 days, is to monitor Greece's sea border with Turkey around the area of Samos on a 24-hour basis.

Authorities say European Union border agency Frontex has provided the Greek coast guard with a crewless blimp to help combat illegal immigration and to augment search and rescue operations in the eastern Aegean Sea.

A huge air accident was prevented in San Francisco.