Taiwan Retaliates Against Chinese Airlines, Hampering Lunar New Year Travelbr 30, 2018br TAIPEI, Taiwan — Tens of thousands of Taiwanese working in China are at risk of being unable to return home forbr the Lunar New Year in mid-February as a result of an escalating battle over airspace in the Taiwan Strait.br The agency said on Jan. 19 that it was denying the airlines permission for the flights because they were flying sensitive new routes in the Taiwan Straitbr that China began using without consulting Taiwan’s government.br The cancellations of the 176 flights serving Lunar New Year traffic will probably forcebr Taiwanese determined to get home to scramble to book scarce flights on short notice.br On Tuesday, the Chinese carriers China Eastern Airlines and Xiamen Air announcedbr that they had canceled 176 flights intended to meet added demand during the holiday since they had yet to receive approval from Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration.br The new passenger routes come close to airspace used by Taiwanese airlinersbr and military planes at a time when Chinese military drills encroaching on Taiwan’s airspace have become increasingly common.