Air China flight lands in Taiwan one hour ahead of schedule

Airline Industry Information, Jan 31, 2005

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

There is suspicion in Taiwan that the Chinese pilots took shortcuts during the first direct flights between China and Taiwan in decades.

The first flights took place on Saturday (29 January) to allow Taiwanese working in China to go home for the Lunar New Year. According to the agreement, the flights between China and Taiwan would go through Hong Kong airspace. Four of the seven flights on Saturday were however ahead of schedule, with Air China's flight between Beijing and Kaohsiung only taking three hours and 45 minutes, which was one hour less than scheduled. There has been Taiwanese media speculation over whether the aircraft had been taking shortcuts, failing to pass through Hong Kong airspace on the way.

Chiu Tai-san, a senior Taiwanese official, has said that the authorities will investigate the allegations while Billy Chang, the head of Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration, believes that the Chinese pilots had followed the Taiwanese rule but had been aided by a tail wind that allowed speedier flights. He also said that Hong Kong's air traffic controllers allowed the Chinese pilots to fly through the very edge of Hong Kong airspace, The Associated Press reported.

Normally, flights between China and Taiwan have to stop at a third point, usually in Hong Kong or Macau, a detour that adds four hours to the flight.

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