China Airlines Ltd (中華航空) and EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) yesterday said that they would avoid flying over Iraq and Iran for safety’s sake, after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) banned US carriers from the area following Iranian missile attacks yesterday on Iraqi bases housing US troops.
The FAA said it was barring US pilots and carriers from flying in areas of Iraqi, Iranian and some Persian Gulf airspace.
Although the FAA ban does not affect Taiwanese airlines, it is considered advice, the carriers said.
China Airlines has no passenger planes that fly in the airspace over Iraq and Iran, but some of its cargo flights from the Middle East and India to Europe do, it said in a statement.
It would reroute those cargo flights over Turkmenistan or Saudi Arabia, it said, adding that it would continue adjusting the routes depending on tensions between the US and Iran.
EVA said that none of its passenger jets fly over Iraq, but some flights from Asia and Europe do fly over Iran.
As of 6am yesterday, those flights were rerouted to fly over Turkmenistan, it said.
The rerouting would add seven to eight minutes to the flights, which should be acceptable to passengers, it added.
“Most of our flights from Bangkok to European cities and London fly over Iranian airspace, while most of our direct flights from Taipei to Europe and London skip the airspace,” EVA deputy spokesman Eric Lin (林司忠) told the Taipei Times by telephone.
On average, 10 to 15 flights per week would be rerouted, Lin said, adding that none of its five cargo aircraft fly over either nation.
EVA would monitor the situation closely and would adjust its routes as necessary, he said.
The Taiwanese companies were among several commercial airlines rerouting flights crossing the Middle East.
Australia’s Qantas Airways Ltd said it was altering its London to Perth routes to avoid Iranian and Iraqi airspace until further notice, which would mean those flights would have to carry fewer passengers and more fuel to remain in the air for an extra 40 to 50 minutes.
Singapore Airlines Ltd and Malaysia Airlines Bhd said that their flights to Europe would be rerouted to avoid Iran, while India and Russia also issued recommendations for their airlines to avoid Iranian, Iraqi and Persian Gulf airspace.
Additional reporting by AP
PROVOCATIVE: Chinese Deputy Ambassador to the UN Sun Lei accused Japan of sending military vessels to deliberately provoke tensions in the Taiwan Strait China denounced remarks by Japan and the EU about the South China Sea at a UN Security Council meeting on Monday, and accused Tokyo of provocative behavior in the Taiwan Strait and planning military expansion. Ayano Kunimitsu, a Japanese vice foreign minister, told the Council meeting on maritime security that Tokyo was seriously concerned about the situation in the East China and South China seas, and reiterated Japan’s opposition to any attempt to change the “status quo” by force, and obstruction of freedom of navigation and overflight. Stavros Lambrinidis, head of the EU delegation to the UN, also highlighted South China Sea
The final batch of 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks purchased from the US arrived at Taipei Port last night and were transported to the Armor Training Command in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口), completing the military’s multi-year procurement of 108 of the tanks. Starting at 12:10am today, reporters observed more than a dozen civilian flatbed trailers departing from Taipei Port, each carrying an M1A2T tank covered with black waterproof tarps. Escorted by military vehicles, the convoy traveled via the West Coast Expressway to the Armor Training Command, with police implementing traffic control. The army operates about 1,000 tanks, including CM-11 Brave Tiger
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said it expects its 2-nanometer (2nm) chip capacity to grow at a compound annual rate of 70 percent from this year to 2028. The projection comes as five fabs begin volume production of 2-nanometer chips this year — two in Hsinchu and three in Kaohsiung — TSMC senior vice president and deputy cochief operating officer Cliff Hou (侯永清) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Silicon Valley, California, last week. Output in the first year of 2-nanometer production, which began in the fourth quarter of last year, is expected to
Taiwan’s drone exports surged past US$100 million in the first quarter, exceeding last year’s full-year total, with the Czech Republic emerging as the largest buyer, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said. Exports of complete drones reached US$115.85 million in the period, about 1.2 times the total recorded for all of last year, the ministry said in a report. Exports to the Czech Republic accounted for about US$100 million, far outpacing other markets. Poland, last year’s top destination, recorded about US$11.75 million in the first quarter. Taiwan’s drone exports have expanded rapidly in the past few years, with last year’s total
RSS