Japanese airlines have been forced to alter their flight paths through Wednesday to “circumvent a danger zone demarcated by North Korea” as it launched a rocket over the weekend.
North Korean officials insist the rocket was used to put a satellite into orbit, while the international community alleges the rocket was actually a long-range missile test.
Either way, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways have rerouted a total of 172 flights bound for Europe or Hawaii, all of which would normally have flown through the affected zone.
Flights headed for Europe altered course and flew over waters off Wakkanai, Hokkaido, rather than over the Sea of Japan. The alteration adds between five and 20 minutes to flight times, Japanese media reported.
“JAL and ANA, however, have taken no other special precautions, saying they do not expect their flights to be at risk because the cruising altitude of the missile is far above their planes' cruising altitude,” reported the Yomiuri Shimbun, a Japanese newspaper. “Tokyo-based shipping firm Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd., which operates container vessels and carriers shipping vehicles to North America, took routes far to the south of their normal routes, while two staffers at the operation support center were monitoring the situation round the clock. Tokyo-based Nippon Yusen K.K. (NYK Line) also ordered its ships, including container vessels bound for North America, to take a more southerly route.”
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