Tracker Flightradar24 said more than 700,000 people were watching flight SPAR19 as it landed in Taiwan carrying Nancy Pelosi.
The plane that carried the US House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, all the way to Taiwan was tracked by more than seven hundred thousand people on Flightrader24. She arrived in Taiwan late on Tuesday regardless of China’s increasingly stern warnings, which assert that the island will someday be seized, by force if necessary.
About Flightradar24
The tracking website service has been gaining traction since people tuned in to watch Pelosi land in Taiwan. Flightradar24 is a service that offers real-time tracking information about thousands of planes across the world.
The state-owned Chinese newspaper Global Times was among the trackers who kept a close eye on the service. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Global Times stated at one point, “According to Flightradar24, a Boeing C-40C with the call sign SPAR19 has departed from Paya Lebar Air Base this morning.”
“As soon as the flight became active, it was the most-tracked flight on our service. And then passing Manila, it became the most-tracked live flight of all time,” stated Ian Petchenik, the director of communications of Flightrardar24.
Why was Pelosi’s flight the most tracked plane in the world?
Her visit exacerbated tensions between China and the United States since China considers foreign leaders’ visits to Taiwan as recognition of the island’s sovereignty and claims Taiwan as part of its territory. This led to Beijing being infuriated by her visit. With the tension brewing, the news of her traveling gained traction.
As a result of the overwhelming demand for the tracking service caused by Pelosi’s travel, Flightradar24 had to create a virtual “waiting room” for users to wait in.
Previously, Flightradar24’s most-tracked flight was Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s commercial jet flight back to Russia after he recovered from a suspected poisoning attempt on his life.
China has warned action after her visit and has stated that its military will “never sit idly by”.