Pakistan closes airspace to Taiwanese airlines, says Khawaja Asif

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has said that Pakistan has closed its airspace to Taiwanese airlines in support of China’s One-China policy.

According to him, only Chinese airlines are permitted to use Pakistani airspace. He made the remarks in an interview with the American financial news agency Bloomberg.

According to Bloomberg’s report, Taiwanese airlines began changing their flight routes from the end of the week. Flights of China Airlines and EVA Air have not passed through Pakistani airspace since the morning of 25 October.

The report said that at least 12 flights of Taiwanese carriers travelling between Asia and Europe used Russian airspace from Sunday.

According to the report, this is described as the first decision of its kind by Pakistan. However, the information provided does not include details of flight durations, additional costs or the effect of the decision on all air operations.

On the One-China policy, China’s position is that Taiwan is part of China. Taiwan has its own government and administrative system, while its international status is a disputed matter.

The details provided do not include any formal notification of the ban from Pakistani authorities or the full text of its terms.