CAL, EVA affected by Italy's suspension of Taiwan flights

Taipei, Feb. 1 (CNA) Taiwan-based carriers China Airlines (CAL) and EVA Airways were impacted by the Italian government's decision Friday to ban flights originating from Taiwan, following the discovery of a deadly new coronavirus in the Chinese city of Wuhan that has since spread to other countries.

As a result, CAL, which operates three round-trip flights per week between Taoyuan and Rome, has canceled its flights on Feb. 2 and Feb. 3, while the company is currently trying to persuade the Italian authorities to reverse the decision.

After Italy confirmed two cases cases of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) on Friday, its government suspended all flights from China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan until April 28.

The move also impacted EVA, which was set to start direct flights between Taoyuan and Milan on Feb. 18. According to Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA), the ban is apparently not related to the epidemic in Taiwan as countries with more cases are not covered.

It is likely that Italy's decision is the result of a misunderstanding, the CAA said, adding that it is seeking to clarify the situation with the Italian authorities through various channels.