Taiwan civil aviation authorities have said no to 176 extra cross-strait flights during the Lunar Chinese New Year holiday next month.

The decision is expected to affect around 50-thousand passengers. Taiwan authorities said the rejection was made out of security concerns over the newly-opened routes. Taiwan has given the green light to nearly two hundred extra flights proposed by Chinese mainland airlines. But it still hasn't made a decision on more than 100 extra flights suggested by Air China. For its part, the Chinese mainland has approved Taiwan airlines' application to open more than 600 extra flights during the holiday.