‘If there are direct India-Taiwan flights, they will fly’: MEA after Pakistan blocks airspace over 'One-China' policy

On Wednesday, Pakistan granted Taiwanese airlines China Airlines Ltd and Eva Airways Corp permission to utilize its airspace until March 2027, according to documents obtained by Dawn. The Taiwanese carriers were granted authorization to operate flights from October 28 to March 27, 2027. This move follows Bloomberg reporting that Islamabad had previously barred Taiwanese airlines from using its airspace in alignment with Beijing’s One-China policy.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif confirmed to Bloomberg News that the aviation division adheres to the One China policy, stating, "Only mainland China is allowed," and that the country only permits Chinese airlines to fly over Pakistan.

Subsequently, flight-tracking data showed that Taiwanese airlines had begun rerouting their flights over the weekend, with both airlines discontinuing flights over Pakistan since October 25. At least a dozen flights operated by China Airlines and Eva Air, which typically traversed Asia and Europe, have redirected their routes to fly over Russia since Sunday, according to Flightradar24 data.

The report noted that China Airlines and Eva Air declined to provide comments, while Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration did not comment on the flight rerouting, asserting that it had never prohibited carriers from flying over Russia. Taiwanese airlines had circumvented Russian airspace since February 2022, similar to many Asian, European, and North American carriers, although they were never officially denied access.