Pakistan barred Taiwan carriers, then reversed the ban — SkimNews
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- Pakistan barred state carrier China Airlines and private carrier EVA Air from transiting its airspace last month, with Defence Minister Khawaja Asif saying the aviation division follows the One China policy and allows only mainland China.
- Pakistan abruptly reversed the ban, granting both carriers access until 27 March 2027 and giving no explanation for what happens after the deadline.
- One China policy adherence means opposing Taiwan's independence, accepting Beijing's claim and keeping no official ties, but it does not entail denying Taiwanese commercial airlines overflight rights; some adherents retain trade ties and unofficial offices in Taiwan, and China itself imposes no such restriction.
- Lai Ching-te's planned April trip to Eswatini, Taiwan's only remaining diplomatic ally in Africa, prompted Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar to withdraw overflight permissions — a restriction on a presidential flight rather than on commercial carriers.
- Pakistan's ban fits two possible explanations — a Beijing request, or an Islamabad initiative to demonstrate loyalty while seeking closer US ties — with the Mecca Pact and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, now a security liability for Beijing, adding to the incentive to reassure China.
- Taiwan has no seat at the International Civil Aviation Organisation, no representative office in Pakistan and no direct flights; just over 900 Pakistani nationals live in Taiwan, and the only South Asia–Taiwan air link, Taipei–Delhi, is scheduled to resume 1 December.
- China Airlines and EVA Air use Pakistani airspace for flights to the Middle East and Europe, and rerouting after the 27 March 2027 deadline would add flight time and cost — a precedent for other Beijing-aligned states restricting carriers, with Taiwan unrepresented in the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
Why it matters: By extending the One China policy into overflight rights — further than China itself applies — Pakistan turned a diplomatic stance into an aviation-access precedent, and the source flags other Beijing-aligned states facing similar pressure. The unexplained 27 March 2027 deadline leaves Taiwanese carriers' Middle East and Europe routes in play: a renewed ban would add flight time and cost.
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