Pakistan Reinstates Airspace Access for Taiwanese Airlines Following Reported Ban

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority has authorized two Taiwanese airlines to use national airspace, according to official documents issued Wednesday, just hours after reports surfaced that Islamabad had barred the carriers in alignment with Beijing’s “one China” policy.

The two documents, dated Wednesday, approve passenger and cargo flights operated by EVA Air and China Airlines from October 28 through March 27, 2027.

An initial Bloomberg report cited Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, stating that Pakistan had closed its airspace to Taiwanese carriers. The news agency subsequently reported that overflight rights had been restored.

Asif did not offer an immediate comment. The authorization documents do not reference any prior restriction or clarify whether the approvals constitute a policy reversal.

Pakistan has consistently endorsed Beijing’s “one China” policy, which regards the self-governing island of Taiwan as Chinese territory. Beijing has not excluded the use of force to bring the island under its control, and China requires nations with diplomatic relations to refrain from formal ties with Taipei.

In April, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te delayed a trip to Eswatini, Taiwan’s sole diplomatic partner in Africa, after Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar revoked overflight permissions. Taiwan’s government attributed the withdrawals to pressure from Beijing. China denied exerting pressure but commended the countries’ decisions.

Lai ultimately arrived in Eswatini in May.

China and Taiwan have remained separately governed since 1949, when Communist forces prevailed in China’s civil war and the defeated Nationalist government retreated to the island.

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