Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways said Friday they will alter some international flight routes in early April to avoid what the declared "danger areas" when North Korea launches a rocket carrying what the country claims is a communications satellite.
Flights that will be affected are those connecting Japan and European countries, as well as Japan and Hawaii. The detours will be in effect between April 4 and 8 — the period Pyongyang calls its launch window.
The carriers expect a two to seven-minute delay in each of the flights. No changes are expected on domestic flight routes.
North Korea has identified two potential danger areas following its planned launch — in in the Sea of Japan off Akita Prefecture where the rocket's first stage is expected to fall, and in the Pacific off Chiba Prefecture, where the second stage will come down, international agencies overseeing maritime and aviation affairs said Thursday.