ADIZ.png (Photo : news.21cn.com)
Three airline carriers from Southeast Asia have agreed to give notice of their flight plans when flying through China's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). In November, China established the ADIZ over much of the East China Sea requiring foreign aircraft passing through the zone to identify their flight route and maintain two-way radio communications with Chinese authorities.
The airlines, from Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia, are the most recent air carriers to announce that they will comply with Chinese requirements. Just last week, two of South Korea's biggest carriers, Asiana Airlines and Korean Air, also announced that they would abide with the new rules and begin giving notice of their flight plans immediately. In addition to the Asian airlines, air carriers from the U.S. have also agreed to give notice.
In discussing the announcement, Vietnam Airlines said that there has been no change in its policy and that giving notice when passing through any nation's ADIZ is standard procedure. According the the airline, it had given Chinese authorities notice of its flights that crossed the East China Sea even before the ADIZ was established.
Thai Airways, which operates over 70 flights a week with destinations in Japan, announced that it would give notice for those flights that pass through the ADIZ. According to a Thai airway spokesperson, giving notice complies with international custom and ensures the safety of its passengers.
Malaysia Airlines stated that opposition to the ADIZ is strictly a military issue with no bearing on private civilian aviation and that giving notice of flight plans is a common practice. Moreover, bypassing the ADIZ would be too expensive.
Civilian airline compliance however is different from official government policy. Indeed, both the U.S. and South Korean governments has stressed that while civilian airlines are free to comply with the ADIZ rules as set forth by China, their decisions do not reflect either the U.S. or South Korea's position. In fact, two U.S. military planes recently flew through the ADIZ without giving notice to Chinese authorities.
The Japanese government, on the other hand, has requested that its domestic airlines refrain from giving notice and in response to the request, there are currently no Japanese airlines that have complied with the new rules.
