Taiwan says Hong Kong warned off a civilian flight heading to Taipei-controlled island

TAIPEI - Hong Kong air traffic controllers on Thursday (Oct 15) warned off a Taiwanese civilian flight flying to Taiwan-controlled islands in the South China Sea, forcing it to turn back, the island's government said. The incident, which comes at a time of rising regional tensions, occurred as a UNI Air charter flight from southern Taiwan's Kaohsiung to the Pratas Islands was approaching Hong Kong's flight information region, Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration said. Hong Kong air traffic controllers told the captain there were "dangerous activities" happening below 26,000ft and the aircraft could not enter, so for safety reasons he decided to turn back, the administration said in a statement. Hong Kong had not issued a prior notice warning of activities that could affect flights, it added. Hong Kong's Civil Aviation Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The weekly charter flights to the Pratas mostly carry Taiwan government and coastguard personnel and are not open for ordinary travellers to book.

from Asia
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