Pakistan closes airspace to Taiwanese airlines
Dhaka: Pakistan has barred Taiwanese airlines from its airspace, citing its adherence to Beijing's One-China policy, becoming the first country to take such a step.
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif confirmed the restriction to the media on October 28. He said Pakistan's aviation division follows the One-China policy and has permitted only Chinese airlines to fly over its territory.
Taiwanese carriers began rerouting their flights over the weekend. According to ADS-B flight tracking data, China Airlines and Eva Air have not flown over Pakistan since the morning of October 25.
At least a dozen of their flights between Asia and Europe have since traveled over Russia. Both airlines declined to comment on the matter.
Taiwan's Civil Aviation Administration did not comment on the rerouting. However, it said it has never banned Taiwanese carriers from flying over Russia.
Pakistan's restrictions are stricter than those of mainland China, which still allows Taiwanese airlines to fly over its territory. Beijing considers the self-ruled island its own territory and objects to other countries maintaining contact with Taipei. Pakistan severed official relations with Taiwan in 1951 in favor of closer ties with China.
The reason behind Pakistan's decision remains unclear. Airspace restrictions often emerge during periods of heightened geopolitical tensions. Earlier, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te had to postpone a rare state visit to Eswatini after three Beijing-friendly African nations closed their airspace to his plane.
China and Pakistan share close economic and military ties. Beijing is Pakistan's largest weapons supplier, and Pakistan used Chinese-made J-10C fighter jets during the 2025 India-Pakistan conflict.
Taiwanese airlines were never formally banned from Russian airspace, but they have avoided it since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, in line with most Asian, European, and North American carriers. The detour adds hours to Asia-Europe flights and raises fuel costs.
Besides Russia, China Airlines and Eva Air are also routing aircraft over other parts of South Asia and the Middle East, which extends flight times further.
