Civil Aviation Administration slams Taiwan

The Taiwan authorities’ refusal to approve extra flights across the Straits at Chinese New Year will harm the interests of the people, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said Tuesday.

China Eastern Airlines and Xiamen Airlines added 176 flights to the M503 flight route to meet the demand for people returning home during Chinese New Year, but the Taiwan authorities blocked them using the excuse of flight safety, according to a notice released by the administration on Tuesday.

The administration condemned the Taiwan authorities’ disregard for people’s livelihood and said the move harmed the interests of people across the Straits, especially those living in Taiwan.

China Eastern Airlines and Xiamen Airlines both complained on Tuesday about being forced by Taiwan authorities to cancel flights.

About 50,000 travelers will be affected, China National Radio (CNR) reported. “I may as well swim back to Taiwan to celebrate New Year,” Li Zhenghong, head of Shanghai’s Taiwan merchant association, was quoted as saying by CNR.

An official from the International Air Transport Association spoke out in support of the Chinese mainland.

The M503 route was launched to ease flight congestion on the A470 route and has made flying safer as the sky over the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta continues to get busier, the association official said, Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.

The M503 route, in use since March 2015, is not a new route, he said. Its position and design were approved by the International Civil Aviation Organization, he said.