Pakistan Reverses Ban on Taiwanese Airlines After Brief Suspension
Pakistan quickly reinstates flight permissions for Taiwanese airlines after a brief ban, raising concerns over international aviation policies.
Islamabad, October 30 (Daily Kiran) : Pakistan has recently made headlines by briefly banning Taiwanese airlines from using its airspace, only to reverse the decision within hours. This incident has sparked discussions about diplomatic policies, regional relations, and international aviation.
According to a report from the multilingual international newspaper Page3News, Pakistan initially denied entry to two Taiwanese airlines this week, citing adherence to China’s “One China” policy. However, the restrictions were short-lived, as Islamabad restored overflight permissions for Taiwanese aircraft shortly thereafter.
This development drew attention because Pakistan was the first country to impose and then retract a ban on these Taiwanese airlines. Taiwan expressed concern over the situation. Taiwanese Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi stated that such actions could send a dangerous message to the international community, suggesting that China’s influence might be behind Pakistan’s decision, although he provided no evidence to support this claim.
Michelle Lee, spokesperson for Taiwan’s Executive Yuan, expressed deep regret over Pakistan’s temporary closure of its airspace to Taiwanese airlines during a cabinet press conference. She accused Pakistan of compromising flight safety under pressure from China, disregarding international regulations, undermining Taiwan’s national sovereignty, and politicizing airspace use.
Pakistan’s leading newspaper, Dawn, reported that Defense Minister Khawaja Asif clarified in a statement to Bloomberg News that only Chinese airlines were permitted to transit through its airspace. He emphasized that the aviation department adheres to the “One China” policy, allowing only mainland China access.
Flight monitoring data indicated that from October 25 to 28, Taiwanese airlines altered their routes and avoided Pakistani airspace. According to Dawn, China Airlines Limited and EVA Airways Corp have now been granted permission to operate flights through Pakistan’s airspace from October 28, 2026, to March 27, 2027.
During the period from October 25 to 28, these airlines conducted at least a dozen flights between Asia and Europe, rerouting over Russia.
