You're not mistaken Jean, I was -must be Thai new year... ££&@^$:Jean wrote:If i'm not mistaken, Taiwanese carriers CAn fly over China, since beginning last year! So that is nog longer an issue...
EVA Airlines became the first Taiwanese carrier to fly over mainland China in more than 50 years, flying over Hong Kong to Kunming and Lanzhou and then Urumqi in western China. The final destination for the Boeing 747-400 was Paris. Rival China Airlines also launched its flight over the mainland, few minutes after the EVA Airlines plane took off.
Taiwanese carriers began flights directly over Chinese territory: Paris-bound EVA Airways flight departed from Taipei and proceeded to enter Chinese airspace the night of Sept. 4, 2005
, making it one of the first Taiwanese commercial airliners to fly over China in 56 years. A ban imposed by the ROC government on direct transport exchanges with China had been in place since 1949. Due to this ban--necessitated by security concerns--all flights from Taiwan had to take roundabout routes to bypass Chinese airspace when flying to destinations in Europe and parts of Asia.
The ROC premier lifted the ban Aug. 3, allowing Taiwanese airlines to apply for permission to fly over China. The legal procedures airlines have to follow in filing applications were announced Aug. 15, and so far four domestic airlines--China Airlines, Mandarin Airlines, EVA Airways and Uni Airways--have been granted permission.
Also Taiwan has lifted its flyover ban.
Source:Taiwan Journal(2005/09/19
There was indeed a time both China Airlines Co (華航) and EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) had to re-route their flights to London, Vienna and Amsterdam -- which fly over the Middle East -- to fly north of Iran or south of Saudi Arabia.
Re-routing of flights extended flying time by 1.5 hours, the airlines said.
