Pakistan Bars Taiwanese Airlines From Its Airspace, Citing One-China Policy

Pakistan has barred Taiwanese airlines from using its airspace, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told Bloomberg, linking the restriction to Islamabad’s One-China policy.

“The aviation division follows the One China policy — only mainland China is allowed,” Asif said, according to reports of his Bloomberg interview. He added that Pakistan had permitted only Chinese airlines to fly over the country.

Flight-tracking data cited by Bloomberg showed that China Airlines and EVA Air had stopped flying over Pakistan by the morning of October 25. At least a dozen of their flights between Asia and Europe subsequently travelled over Russia, according to the reports.

The two airlines did not comment on the route changes. Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration also did not explain the rerouting, while saying it had never prohibited airlines from flying over Russia.

Pakistan’s reported restriction makes its airspace policy a practical expression of its diplomatic position on Taiwan. Islamabad recognises Beijing as the government of China and maintains close political and economic ties with China.

The shift may affect flight routes and operating costs for carriers travelling between Asia and Europe. The available reporting does not quantify any additional travel time or costs, and the airlines have not publicly confirmed why they changed their routes.

The development follows the airlines’ observed route changes; reporting attributes the airspace restriction to the defence minister’s comments. The route data alone does not establish the reason for each individual flight’s path.