Pakistan first barred Taiwanese airlines from its airspace, citing its "One China" policy, then quietly let them back in within hours. The swift U-turn has left Islamabad facing questions over whether the restriction was a deliberate diplomatic signal or an embarrassing policy mix-up. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has issued schedules allowing Taiwanese carriers China Airlines and EVA Air to operate passenger and cargo flights through Pakistani airspace from October 28 to March 27. The move came after reports that the airlines had rerouted their Asia-Europe flights after being denied access since October 25.
What did Khawaja Asif say?
Earlier this week, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told Bloomberg News that Pakistan's aviation division was following the "One China" policy and that only mainland Chinese airlines were being permitted to fly over the country.
"The aviation division follows the 'One China policy', only mainland China is allowed," Asif said. "We have permitted only Chinese airlines to fly over Pakistan."
However, the CAA later released overflight schedules for China Airlines and EVA Air. Officials said no Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) had been issued to formally ban the Taiwanese carriers, while the authority has referred the matter to the Foreign Office to determine whether any policy change had taken place.
Taiwan criticises Pakistan's move
Taiwan criticised the reported restrictions and suggested that China may have influenced Islamabad's decision. Taiwan's Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi said the move could send a dangerous message to the international community.
Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee said Taiwan's Cabinet "deeply regretted" Pakistan's brief closure of its airspace to Taiwanese airlines.
"We deeply regret Pakistan's behavior, including pandering to China by compromising flight safety, disregarding international rules and reality, undermining our national sovereignty, and politicising and weaponising airspace," Lee said.
Pakistani airspace is an important transit route for airlines flying between Asia and Europe. Flight-tracking data showed that China Airlines and EVA Air operated at least a dozen flights between the two regions over Russian airspace between October 25 and 28 after avoiding Pakistani airspace.
The restoration of overflight rights is expected to allow the carriers to resume their earlier routing and reduce longer detours. Islamabad has not publicly explained the reasons behind either the initial restriction or its quick reversal.
The newly issued flight permissions will remain operational until March 27, 2027, to match the standard winter aviation calendar. Following the expiry of this window, airlines will be required to submit fresh applications to secure clearances for the upcoming summer schedule, reports said, quoting Taiwanese officials.
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