President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said civilian aircraft would not be allowed to fly directly across the Taiwan Strait even if air links with China were restored, it was reported yesterday.
Civilian planes would instead be required to pass through other airspace for national security reasons even after direct links are opened, a Chinese-language news-paper quoted Chen as saying.
"There is a mistaken notion. Direct cross-strait transport links do not mean flying straight," Chen told a group of Taiwanese businesspeople in Penghu Monday night.
Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said Chen's remarks meant that any direct flights would have to be based on existing routes, even if the planes do not land.
The government's report on opening direct links is due soon.
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