In other aviation news, China Eastern Airlines and Xiamen Airlines say they have no choice but to cancel 176 round-trip flights to Taiwan. This is after civil aviation authorities in Taiwan refused to approve them.

They cited flight safety concerns over the air route, but the Chinese mainland said no such concerns were involved. The flights were initially added to meet an increasing travel demand over Spring Festival. This cancellation would make it difficult for around 50,000 people to return home during the holiday period. Additional cross-Strait flights for the festival have been a regular practice since 2008, when direct flights between the two sides began.