Asian airlines brace for another North Korean missile launch

Airlines that fly over or near the Korean Peninsula have contingency plans should North Korea test another missile. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Jan.16 highlighted the threat North Korean missile tests can pose to civil aviation while speaking at a meeting in Vancouver, where officials from 20 nations discussed Korean Peninsula-related security issues. North Korea launched 20 ballistic missiles last year. Korean Air Lines said it would consider stopping flights from Incheon International Airport, near Seoul, to Guam, a US territory in the western Pacific, if North Korea moves to fire a missile toward the Micronesian island. South Korea's largest airline said its Incheon-Narita route and Incheon-Sydney route could be affected by a North Korean missile test and that it has predetermined detours that its jetliners can take to avoid trouble. A Japan Airlines spokesperson on Jan.18 said one of its captains also reported seeing "a flashing object" off in the distance while flying on the day of the missile test in November. The airline said it is difficult to prepare for another test since there is no saying when one might come and where the missile would be pointed. While route changes must be determined by the control tower to avoid collisions between civilian planes, "we will consider options including landing at an alternative airport and returning back to the departure point if a missile is in the vicinity," a Japan Airlines' spokesperson said. A spokesman for All Nippon Airways, under ANA Holdings, said the company is working closely with relevant authorities and closely monitoring the situation.<br/>