This file photo taken on Nov. 1, 2021, shows passenger jets of Korean Air Lines Co. at Incheon International Airport in Incheon. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 5 (Korea Bizwire) – Wih China staging live-fire military drills around Taiwan on Thursday in response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island, South Korean airlines are facing an operational setback.
Korean Air Lines Co., South Korea’s national flag carrier operating direct flights to Taiwan five times a week, has either postponed or canceled its weekend flight schedule, industry sources said.
The carrier has decided to cancel all flights to Taiwan scheduled for Friday and Saturday and postpone the Sunday flight by an hour.
“Passengers who have booked a flight for Taiwan on Friday and Saturday will be eligible to cancel or change their ticket, commission-free,” Korean Air said.
Asiana Airlines Inc. also canceled its direct flight to Taiwan that had originally been scheduled for Friday. It plans to decide upon the weekend flight schedule based on the changes in the situation the day prior.
“Passengers who had booked a flight for Friday will be eligible for a full refund or will have the option of rescheduling for a Sunday flight,” Asiana said.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said a detour flight route to Taiwan will mean that the flight distance will increase slightly.
China’s request for a distance separation for air traffic control will add an additional 20 minutes of delay, while a detour flight route towards Manila will add 10 to 58 minutes of delay depending on the destination, government officials said.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
