Civilian airplanes flying through the Taipei flight information region (FIR) are exposed to greater aviation risks due to an increasing number of unidentified aircraft passing through the area over the past few years, according to a report published by the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA).
The report said that the number of unidentified aircraft increased because of China’s creation of an air defense identification zone in the East China Sea. The establishment of the zone has also escalated tensions among East Asian nations, as it includes airspace over the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台), which are claimed by Taiwan and China, as well as Japan, where they are known as the Senkaku Islands.
CAA records showed that there have been a number of incidents in which the traffic collision avoidance systems of civilian aircraft were triggered due to the approach of unidentified aircraft. These incidents include an All Nippon Airways flight from Tokyo to Taipei, as well as Polar Air Cargo and Korean Air flights inside the Taipei FIR.
One EVA Airways flight also encountered an approaching unidentified aircraft when servicing its route between Taipei and Singapore, the CAA said, adding that the airplane was able to avert a disaster, because air traffic controllers reacted in time and guided the flight away from the unidentified aircraft.
The CAA expressed its frustration in the report over Japan’s reluctance to share information on unidentified flights coming from areas under Japan’s control.
Commenting on Japanese air traffic controllers’ unwillingness to disclose information, the CAA said that it might be because the US has several military installations in Japan, adding that because Japan’s air defense identification zone and the Taipei FIR overlap, the Japan Self-Defense Forces might feel it unnecessary to share information, as it would view flights in overlapping areas as being under its purview.
In contrast with Japan, the CAA said air traffic controllers in Hong Kong and the Philippines have provided information when requested.
According to the CAA, Chinese and US military flights have become regular occurrences in the northern part of the Taipei FIR, adding that US military aircraft are often detected cruising through airspace on the nation’s eastern and southern coasts as well.
The CAA said that air traffic controllers have trouble discerning at what exact altitude military flights are operating at, as they use a different transponder system than civilian aircraft, adding that these unidentified aircraft have been detected at altitudes ranging from a few hundred meters to 18,300m.
CAA data showed that the Taipei FIR connects with FIRs in Fukuoka, Japan; Shanghai and Guangzhou in China; Hong Kong; and Manila. Four domestic air routes pass through the Taipei FIR, as well as 14 international air routes and 10 transitional air routes.
The number of aircraft flying through the Taipei FIR has increased by about 5 percent over the past few years, the CAA said.
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