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Pakistan once banned Taiwanese airlines from flying over its airspace under the One-China policy, but it withdrew and restored the permission to China Airlines and Evergreen a few hours later, with the Evergreen BR65 taking the lead in returning to flight.
Bloomberg report,Pakistan Citing the “One China” policy, Taiwanese airlines were banned from flying through the airspace, but just hours after the news broke, the ban was suddenly withdrawn and reissued.China Airlines AndEvergreen Aviation overflight permission. According to flight tracking data, an EVA Air flight from Taipei to Vienna flew over Pakistan on the morning of the 29th, becoming the first Taiwanese commercial passenger aircraft to enter the country’s airspace after the restrictions were lifted. However, other China Airlines and EVA flights to Europe still choose to bypass Russia or India.
According to data from the flight tracking website Flightradar24, EVA Air Flight BR65 took off from Taipei for Vienna, Austria on the 29th and entered Pakistan’s airspace at around 3:30 in the morning on the 29th. The flight is expected to reach Vienna at around 6:03 am.
As for other European flights of China Airlines and EVA Air, which flew from late night on the 28th to early morning on the 29th, they still chose to fly over Russian airspace or fly via India.
Since the 25th, Pakistan has refused to allow Taiwanese airlines to use the country’s airspace on the grounds of adhering to Beijing’s “One China” policy, forcing China Airlines and EVA Air to adjust their routes. Pakistani Defense Minister Asif even told Bloomberg on the 28th that Pakistan’s aviation sector adheres to the “One China” policy and therefore only Chinese airlines are allowed to fly through its airspace. This makes Pakistan the first country in the world to completely ban Taiwanese airlines from using its airspace on this basis.
However, just hours after Bloomberg exposed the matter on the 28th, Pakistani officials suddenly changed their stance. Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority has re-issued overflight permissions for China Airlines and EVA Air, allowing both airlines to use Pakistan’s airspace from October 28 this year to March 27 next year, according to a document obtained by Bloomberg and dated March 28. The report did not explain why Pakistan suddenly withdrew the ban.
EVA Air declined to comment on Pakistan’s resumption of overflight permission, while China Airlines did not immediately respond to Bloomberg’s request for comment.
Bloomberg reported that although Beijing has long tried to isolate Taiwan on the international stage, no country has ever announced a blanket ban on Taiwanese airlines using its airspace. Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry condemned Pakistan’s no-fly measures on the 28th, criticizing Pakistan for “adhering to China’s distorted narrative” and weaponizing the right to use its airspace. It stressed that “Taiwan has never been affiliated with the People’s Republic of China” and would continue to maintain close contact with transportation authorities.
Summary FAQ
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Pakistan said it was following Beijing’s “one-China” policy and refused to allow Taiwanese airlines to use its airspace, saying it would only allow Chinese airlines to fly. The move forced China Airlines and Evergreen to adjust their European routes.
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Within hours of Bloomberg revealing the news of the flight ban and re-issuing overflight permissions for China Airlines and Evergreen, Pakistan changed its stance, the report said. However, specific reasons were not stated in the text, and the background of the withdrawal decision is still unclear.
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EVA Air flight BR65 took off from Taipei for Vienna on the morning of the 29th and entered Pakistan’s airspace at about 3:30 local time, becoming the first Taiwanese commercial passenger aircraft to take off from the country’s airspace after the restrictions were lifted.
