S. Korea commercial aircraft diverted during rocket launch

SEOUL, April 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korean commercial aircraft flying over the Pacific Ocean and Japan were safely diverted to avoid possible collision with the North Korean rocket that was launched earlier in the day, the government said Sunday.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority said 11 flights connecting South Korea with
U.S. and Japanese cities took circuitous routes to avoid the planned flight path
of the rocket.
Pyongyang had given advance notice to both International Civil Aviation
Organization and the International Maritime Organization last month that it
planned to fire its rocket between April 4-8.
The authority under the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said two
flights flying to Japanese cities were diverted 220 kilometers, while two cargo
jets were ordered to fly 300 kilometers outside their normal routes as a
precaution.
The safety authority, meanwhile, said that it planned to advise planes taking the
Kamchatka route over the East Sea and Japan to fly further south over the Pacific
Ocean for the time being.
Both Korean Air and Asiana have been diverting an average 14 flights per day to
take the longer Pacific route since March 6. The new route adds 40 minutes of
flight time for planes heading or arriving from U.S. cities and increases fuel
costs by 4 million won (US$3,000).
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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