A Chinese airport briefly halted flights last month when an apparent UFO appeared in the night sky -- and it wasn't the first time an unlikely aircraft kept planes grounded. Since June, more than eight UFO sightings were reported in China.

The most recent sighting occurred last month. Just after 8 p.m. Sept. 11, air traffic controllers alerted staff at an airport east of Baotou in Inner Mongolia to a UFO. Witnesses on the ground claim to have seen flashing lights around the same time.

"To guarantee security, the aircraft heading for the airport had to land at secondary airports. Otherwise, it may have led to collisions," a Baotou airport employee told

People's Daily Online.

ABC News reported that the Chinese government took responsibility for the previous UFO sightings, saying they were part of military exercises, but the government has not yet acknowledged the Sept. 11 appearance.

Although the most recent sighting happened almost a month ago, the UFO buzz is just beginning to take flight on the Internet. Amateur videos of the UFO appearances are popping up in Web searches and drawing millions of page views.

And don't say Stephen Hawking didn't warn us. The renowned physicist in April said that aliens are almost certainly in existence, and that travel to Earth is feasible. Hawking said that such extraterrestrials could be dangerous interplanetary nomads looking to "conquer" and "colonize."

What do you think? Alien spaceships or everyday aircraft? Leave your comments below.