China Eastern Airlines (MU, Shanghai Hongqiao) and Xiamen Airlines (MF, Xiamen) have decided to cancel a total of 176 round-trip flights planned between mainland China and Taiwan in February as the governments in Beijing and Taipei continue to argue about border air routes, Reuters has reported.
China Eastern Airlines has applied for 106 additional flights in February and Xiamen Airlines has requested to operate an extra 70 flights during the traditionally busy Lunar New Year period.
Xiamen Airlines had earlier appealed to the authorities to settle the dispute as it had already sold over 10,000 tickets on these flights but failed to convince the Taiwanese Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA), which denied both carriers additional traffic rights.
The row started when the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) opened four routes near the disputed maritime border with Taiwan to civil aviation in early January. Taiwan argues that by allowing northbound traffic to use the M503 route, as well as by activating the three extension routes W121, W122, and W123 to air traffic, China has violated the terms of a 2015 agreement. The Taipei government also says that flights using these routes can pose a security threat to the cross-Taiwan Strait traffic.
The CAAC argues that the usage of these routes, located fully within the mainland China-controlled airspace, is a domestic measure used to alleviate congestion on some of its busiest routes and fully complies with international norms.
According to the ch-aviation capacity module, China Eastern Airlines currently operates a total of 83 weekly flight across the Taiwan Strait, including flights to Taipei Taoyuan out of 16 cities in mainland China, to Kaohsiung out of four cities, to Taipei Sung Shan out of Shanghai Hongqiao, and to Taichung Ching Chuan Kang out of Nanjing. For its part, Xiamen Airlines operates a total of 38 weekly flights, including five routes to Taipei Taoyuan, three to Kaohsiung, and two to Taipei Sung Shan.
