Flights get cancelled and redirected due to China’s drills near Taiwan

China’s military exercise in the Taiwan Strait causes certain airlines, including Korean Air, Asiana, and Singapore Airlines, to cancel flights. 

Flights to Taiwan are being cancelled for one or two days by Korean Air Lines and Asiana Airlines in South Korea due to Chinese military drills nearby. 

Asiana Airlines cancelled its direct trip to Taiwan on Friday and would continue to watch the situation, while Korean Air cancelled its flights between Incheon and Taiwan on Friday and Saturday.

Due to changing airspace limitations, Singapore Airlines also canceled their Friday flights between Singapore and Taipei.

In spite of the Japanese Defence Ministry’s confirmation that five of China’s missiles fired on Thursday landed in Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone off Hateruma, major Japanese airlines including ANA Holdings Inc. and Japan Airlines Co. Ltd. continue to run regular flights to Taipei.

Following U.S House Speaker Nancy Pelosi‘s visit, China is conducting live-fire military drills in the vicinity of Taiwan.

Her visit angered Chinese authorities, who claimed it violated the one-China policy, which declares that the United States recognizes but does not support China’s claim of ownership over the island. 

Additionally, it declares that formal diplomatic relations between the United States and the Taiwanese government would end.

Although the Biden administration attempted to disassociate itself from claims that it had attempted to discourage Pelosi from the trip on Thursday, the White House had recommended the house speaker to abandon her travel.

Up through Sunday, China will conduct its largest-ever military drills in the Taiwan Strait, firing ballistic missiles while stationing dozens of fighter planes and vessels in six locations close to the island.

Additionally, China issued a caution for ships and aircraft to stay away from the area where Chinese forces are practicing for military operations. At least some flights between and within Taiwan were subsequently cancelled.

It is important to remember that the Chinese government warned Taiwan of a dire situation in exchange for permitting Pelosi to visit Taipei. A minimum of 27 aircraft were sent to Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Wednesday, hours after Pelosi’s flight departed Taipei. 

Hua Chunying, a spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, said Pelosi’s travel was “unhealthy” for “democracy” and added that it only served to antagonize and breach China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Pelosi did, however, make a statement calling her trip a powerful statement that “America stands with Taiwan.”

The interruption, however, is expected to be minimal in contrast to that caused by the conflict in other parts of the world given the relatively small region of airspace involved as China’s military exercises affect main routes linking Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia and are forcing airlines to take more time and costlier travels.

For instance, flights between Finland and Japan took four hours longer because airlines decided to steer clear of Russian airspace during the invasion of Ukraine.

Following her historic visit to Taiwan, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was welcomed with much less hoopla at her next destination.

While on vacation during the summer in Seoul, the president of South Korea chose not to have a face-to-face meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. 

Yoon Suk-yeol, the conservative president of South Korea, was the only notable exception to do so among the other Asian leaders’ countries she visited. 

Yoon and Pelosi conversed for about 40 minutes on the phone instead on Thursday. Yoon asserted that the U.S. and South Korea used Pelosi’s visit as a  symbol of deterrence against North Korea and that they talk about fortifying their partnership the following time he travels to Washington.