Asian airlines reported few flight disruptions after US-led military strikes against Afghanistan and said beefed-up security measures are adequate to guard against any new threat.
"After Sept. 11, we have already raised our security level ... We haven't made any special arrangements on this aspect," said Lisa Wong, a spokeswoman for Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd, Hong Kong's dominant airline. "Our flights are operating normally, even our flights to the US and the Middle East."
Asian air carriers and airports had raised security measures after the terrorist attacks last month. Most airlines also halted flights to Pakistan and nearby destinations before the attacks on Afghanistan or started flying different routes to avoid flying over the possible war zone.
Hong Kong's airport hasn't changed any security procedures because it already "enhanced" measures after the Sept. 11 attacks, said Christopher Donnolley, a spokesman for the Hong Kong Airport Authority. No flights have been canceled because of the overnight attacks, he said.
Thai Airways International Pcl has no plans to review flight schedules to the cities of Karachi and Lahore in Pakistan or any other destinations following the attacks last night, said airline spokesman Saharut Kromkul.
"Flights have already been rerouted around any areas where the military action is taking place," Saharut said.
Taiwan's China Airlines Co (
The rerouting adds 30 minutes to flights to Europe, China Airlines spokesman Paul Wang said.
In South Korea, airlines and airport authorities tightened security measures after the US and UK attacks on Afghanistan.
Korean Air Co, the fourth-largest cargo carrier, and smaller local rival Asiana Airlines Co changed some flight routes after the attacks.
An Asiana cargo flight leaving Frankfurt at 7am local time for Seoul will fly over the US instead of the Middle East, company spokesman Kim Haeng Seok said. A Korean Air cargo flight, scheduled to fly from Korea to Basel, Switzerland, via Tashkent in Uzbekistan, was forced to turn back and is now scheduled to depart at 7pm today.
"No flights have been canceled even though we have changed some flight routes," Kim said. "We will decide on the operation of other passenger flights depending on the situation." Korean airlines stopped flying some routes to and from the Middle East after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Tokyo's Narita airport set up a terrorist response center at 3:15am this morning, with 40 security personnel assigned to do identification and vehicle checks at entrances, and conduct increased security checks in restricted areas, said Minoru Abe, a spokesman at the airport authority in Narita. "There were no flight cancellations because of the attacks," Abe said.
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