Officials yesterday emphasized that re-routing Taiwan airlines' Europe-bound flights over China during the war in Afghanistan is intricately linked to cross-strait policy. They added that the legislature's Tuesday vote in favor of applications for such re-routing did not mean that Taiwan's approval, much less China's, was a foregone conclusion.
"The legislature's consensus only states that Taiwanese airlines may submit applications to the government for flying Europe-bound flights through Chinese airspace to avoid high-risk areas created by the US strikes against Afghanistan," said Chang Chia-juch (張家祝), vice minister of transportation and communications.
"Whether we will agree to the request depends on the Mainland Affairs Council's (MAC) decision on whether flights over Chinese airspace would contravene the Statute Governing Relations Be-tween the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area," said Chang.
That statute states that no transportation carrier registered in Taiwan may pass through Chinese territory without authorization from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.
Reacting to the Legislative Yuan's resolution, the MAC issued a press release Tuesday stating that bilateral negotiations with China would be required in any case before any re-routing could proceed.
"According to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, there are other options when trying to avoid flying through the war zone, which means it's too early to talk about the possibility of implementing this option," added Jan Jyh-horng (詹志宏), director of the Department of Research and Planning under the MAC.
Chang said that international practice suggests that most countries are amenable to granting "first freedom traffic rights" to airlines upon application. "But China certainly has the right to refuse the proposal," he added.
First freedom traffic rights give airlines the right to fly across a country's territory without landing.
Often airlines need simply to get a certificate from the country whose airspace is to be used, without the approval of the country in which the airline is registered.
The New Party forced the DPP caucus Tuesday to endorse the opposition-initiated draft bill by threatening not to sign the government's war-risk insurance guarantees for Taiwanese airlines.
New Party legislator Elmer Feng (馮滬祥), who initiated the proposal, claimed that Chinese authorities had promised to approve the use of Chinese airspace by Taiwanese aircraft.
But Minister of Transportation and Communications Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭) emphasized Tuesday that China had never conveyed any such message through official channels.
The International Civil Aviation Organization has stated that, in the event of a further expansion of the Afghanistan conflict, it will recommend a further re-routing of flights to a route connecting Bangkok to China's southwestern areas and Xinjiang.
An official from Taiwan's Civil Aviation Administration, however, said flying over China is not the only option. "It is just that some options save more money than others," said the official, who wished to remain anonymous.
"And besides, safety concerns should also be taken into consideration," added the official. "Flying over the plateaus in China requires that more oxygen tanks be prepared in case of an emergency landing. Rescue plans will also have to be carefully designed."
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