A Cathay Pacific crew actually saw North Korea’s missile test from the plane though it wasn’t in any danger. The San Francisco – Hong Kong Airbus A350 flight was near enough to see the missile but not to be at risk.

Korean Air says two of its flights bound for Seoul saw “a flash” that they assume to be the missle coming down.

The lack of NOTAMs (Notice to Airmen) filed by North Korea about their tests means that there’s a risk of flying in the area that they usually test, in the sea out towards Japan.

As a result Singapore Airlines acknowledges that it has re-routed its Seoul to Los Angeles flight “to avoid the northern part of the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan.”

Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER

Here’s the standard path that Singapore Airlines flight SQ8 would take and the actual more southerly routing they’ve used since recent North Korea missile testing.

They’ve actually been flying this new routing since a test missile came even closer to Air France AF293 on July 28. The Tokyo Haneda – Paris Charles de Gaulle flight was just 60 to 70 miles north of the location where the missile came down. It had passed to the east 5 to 10 minutes prior to impact.