Air France expands North Korea no-fly zone after missile miss

5th Aug 2017 | Source: REUTERS

Air France-KLM has expanded its no-fly zone over North Korea after one of its jets flew past the location where an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) splashed down 10 minutes later, an airline spokesman said on Thursday.

Air France's flight 293, a Boeing 777 carrying 323 people from Tokyo to Paris, missed North Korea's latest ICBM as it fell to earth on July 28 by about 100 km (60 miles), the spokesman said, citing flight data provided by Japan.

Air France-KLM flies direct to Tokyo and Osaka and the expansion of the no-fly zone could make the flights 10 minutes to 30 minutes longer, depending on the direction, the spokesman said.

North Korea said on Saturday its latest ICBM test proved its ability to strike America's mainland, drawing a sharp warning from U.S. President Donald Trump and a rebuke from China.

France 24 first reported the expansion of the non-fly zone.