China-Taiwan tension led to flight delays. China conducted its largest-ever training in the Taiwan Strait on Sunday. It deployed dozens of aircraft and firing real missiles close to Taiwan. The drills, which will last until noon local time on Sunday, will take place in six zones. This encircle most of the island.
Despite the relatively modest amount of airspace affected. The interruption is making it difficult to travel between Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia.
Reason for flight cancellations
US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan provoked Chinese military drills . Several have cancelled flights to Taipei. Many have avoided using the nearby airspace, which is currently off-limits to commercial aviation.
On Thursday, China deployed dozens of planes and launched actual missiles near Taiwan. This was part of its largest-ever drills in the Taiwan Strait. Six zones that include a sizable chunk of the island will be used for the drills. This will go until Sunday noon local time.
The disruption is hindering traffic between Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia despite the relatively small area of airspace impacted.
What does Korean Airlines said?
Korean Air Lines Co Ltd said that the drills resulted in the cancellation of flights between Seoul and Taipei on Friday and Saturday.
What does Singapore airlines stated?
Singapore Airlines Ltd. said that its Friday flights between Singapore and Taipei will be cancelled due to “changing airspace limits”. The airline promised to continue monitoring the situation in case more adjustments were necessary.
According to representatives , flights from Japan to Taipei are still being operated by ANA Holdings and Japan Airlines Co. Although those flights—as well as those to Hong Kong and Southeast Asia—are avoiding the impacted airspace.
Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. said that some of its planes were skirting designated airspace zones near Taiwan.
As of Friday morning, according to flight tracking service. The FlightRadar24, Philippine Airlines, China Airlines Ltd., and EVA Airways Corp. were all still flying to and from the island. In addition cargo carriers FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service Inc were flying too. All preventing the areas hit by the military drills.
Read more : China claims to have fired targeted missiles in Taiwan Strait.
According to its website, Emirates had a Friday flight to Taipei still on the itinerary.
Due to COVID-19, Taiwan, together with mainland China and Hong Kong, remains one of the few locations in the globe that still needs quarantine for new arrivals. This decreased the demand for travel to the island, there are much fewer flights than there were before the epidemic.
The Chinese military drills will impair key routes between Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia, according to OPSGROUP, an aviation industry cooperative that provides information on flight hazards. This might result in re-routings that take longer and use more fuel.
However, compared to the choice by the majority of airlines to avoid overflying other locations like Russia, Ukraine, Iraq, and Syria. The airspace involved has a tiny influence on the world’s aviation business.
For instance, flights between Finland and Japan now take over four hours longer due to the avoidance of Russian airspace.
According to the official Central News Agency, Taiwan said on Wednesday that it was in talks to develop alternate air routes with its neighbours Japan and the Philippines.
