Oct. 31 — In an unexpected policy reversal, Pakistan has restored overflight clearances for Taiwan’s primary commercial carriers, China Airlines and EVA Air, granting both airlines uninterrupted access to Pakistani airspace through March 27, 2027, according to regulatory documents from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA).
The decision, effective from Wednesday, October 28, applies to all scheduled commercial passenger and air cargo operations operated by both Taiwanese carriers. The regulatory restoration followed intense regional diplomatic scrutiny sparked by reports that Islamabad had abruptly closed its airspace to Taiwan-registered aircraft to demonstrate solidarity with Beijing’s “One-China” principle.
Earlier in the week, Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif publicly asserted that under the One-China framework, only airlines from the Chinese mainland held lawful entitlements to utilize Pakistani sovereign airspace. However, the newly issued aviation circular superseded that hardline position within hours.
Contradictions within official channels have added to the ambiguity surrounding the sudden shift. Pakistani daily Dawn reported that aviation officials downplayed the episode as an administrative misunderstanding, asserting that no formal restriction notice had ever been legally served against Taiwanese operators and describing the authorization as a standard, scheduled renewal of bilateral overflight rights. Nonetheless, aviation observers pointed out that the updated authorization omitted any direct reference to the previous disruption or its operational causes.
Flight-tracking metrics indicated that beginning October 25, Taiwanese carriers had systematically altered their flight paths to skirt Pakistani flight information regions (FIRs). At least 12 long-haul passenger flights bound for Europe were forced to divert along northern tracks through Russian airspace, incurring severe flight time extensions, greater fuel consumption, and heightened operating expenses.
While the formal extension resolves immediate route disruptions and averts millions in rerouting costs for Taipei’s aviation sector, Taiwanese authorities expressed sharp dismay over the erratic airspace closure, leaving questions lingering over the diplomatic factors that prompted Islamabad’s abrupt reversal.