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Taiwan: China’s No-fly Zone Will Affect 33 Flights. PHOTO/Reuters
TAIPEI – Plan China to establish a no-fly zone in the north Taiwan on April 16 will affect about 33 flights, Taiwan’s official Central News Agency (CNA) reported, citing the island’s transport minister, Wang Kwo-tsai.
“The impact on aviation was greatly reduced after Taiwan said it had successfully persuaded China to drastically narrow its plans to seal off the air space in the north of the island,” Wang said, as quoted by Reuters, Thursday (13/4/2023).
Reuters first reported that Beijing had initially told Taipei it would enforce a no-fly zone from April 16-18, but Taiwan’s transport ministry said this was later reduced to just 27 minutes Sunday morning after the protests.
Wang said the ministry had discussed with Japan’s aviation authority which it would issue a notice late Thursday telling ships and planes to avoid the area for a certain period on Sunday morning.
“The ban could add “less than an hour” of extra travel time to the affected flights as they have to divert further south from their original route,” Wang continued.
Taiwan’s transport ministry on Wednesday published a map showing what China labels an “aerospace activity zone” northeast of Taiwan and near a group of disputed islands China calls Diaoyu and Japan’s Senkaku.
The developments follow days of intensive military drills China is conducting around Taiwan in response to President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California last week.
When China imposed airspace restrictions during a military exercise last August, there was significant disruption to flights in the region, with some planes required to carry extra fuel, according to OPSGROUP, an aviation industry cooperative that advises on aviation risks.
(esn)
