China recently announced an air control zone over the East China Sea and Japanese airlines on November 26, 2013 confirmed that they would follow these rules that were set by China. The statement came from Japan, despite the fact that Tokyo said that they should disregard the rules.
The Japan-based All Nippon Airways (ANA) announced that it has been providing its flight plans to the authorities in China for any plane that was supposed to pass through the area. The affiliate of ANA, Peach Aviation confirmed that it was doing the same at the moment. The zone also covers the Senkaku Islands which are controlled by Tokyo, where ships and aircraft from China and Japan already face each other in dangerous situations.
A spokesperson from ANA said, “We have taken the measures in line with international regulations”. The spokesperson went on to say that safety is their main priority and that they have to avoid any possibility of the worst-case scenario. In addition to that, Peach Aviation said that it took similar steps and that they will continue to submit their flight plans to China for the time being.
Akihiro Ota, the transport minister said that the Chinese declaration was not valid and asked Japanese airlines to ignore it. The area also includes waters claimed by the South Korea and Taiwan.
Photo Credits: Telegraph
