Pakistan bars Taiwanese airlines from its airspace under One-China policy

Pakistan confirms airspace restrictions

Pakistan has stopped Taiwanese airlines from flying over its territory in support of China’s One-China policy, according to a Bloomberg report. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif confirmed the restriction to Bloomberg News.

“The aviation division follows the One China policy — only mainland China is allowed,” Asif told the publication. “We have permitted only Chinese airlines to fly over Pakistan,” he said.

Taiwanese airlines change flight routes

China Airlines Ltd and Eva Airways Corp stopped flying over Pakistan from the morning of October 25, according to flight-tracking data cited in the report. Since Sunday, at least 12 flights operated by the two airlines between Asia and Europe have travelled over Russia, based on Flightradar24 data.

Both airlines declined to comment on the change, while Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration did not directly address the rerouting. However, it said Taiwan had never banned its airlines from flying over Russian airspace.

Longer journeys and higher fuel costs

The restrictions are stricter than those imposed by mainland China, which allows Taiwanese airlines to fly over its territory, Bloomberg reported. The new routes through Russia, other parts of South Asia and the Middle East are adding hours to some journeys and increasing fuel costs.

Taiwanese airlines had avoided Russian airspace since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, following a practice adopted by many airlines in Asia, Europe and North America. However, the report said these airlines had not been formally prohibited from using Russian airspace.

China ties and the One-China policy

China considers Taiwan part of its territory, while Taiwan operates its own government. Pakistan ended official relations with Taiwan in 1951 and has since maintained close ties with Beijing under its One-China policy.

Pakistan and China have expanded their economic and defence cooperation through initiatives including Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative, which has directed billions of dollars towards Pakistan. China is also Pakistan’s largest weapons supplier, and their defence ties received international attention during the May 2025 conflict between Pakistan and India, when Pakistan used Chinese-made J-10C fighter jets.

Pakistan has repeatedly reaffirmed its support for China’s position on Taiwan. On January 3, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Islamabad would continue to follow the One-China principle and called Taiwan an “inalienable part of China”, describing the two countries as “iron-clad friends and all-weather strategic cooperative partners”.

Pakistan’s airspace restriction shows how political relations can affect international air travel. Longer routes may increase fuel expenses and journey times for airlines, while the reasons behind Pakistan’s latest decision remain unclear in the report.

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