Taiwanese carriers resume Russian overflights after Pakistan airspace ban

Pakistan has denied Taiwanese airlines the use of its airspace in what appears to be a more assertive implementation of the country’s “One China” policy.

Although Pakistan and China have long had close diplomatic relations and cooperate in a number of strategic areas, it is not known what may have triggered this change of policy.

The exact time this ban came into effect is not entirely clear. The ban was reported by Bloomberg on October 28, 2026. However, Taiwanese carriers had already started to avoid Pakistani airspace from as early as October 25.

The sudden denial of access to Pakistani airspace sheds new light on the equally unexpected resumption of flights over Russia by Taiwanese carriers.

On the evening of October 25, 2026, China Airlines flight CI75, operated by an Airbus A350-900, tracked on Flightradar24 taking a northerly route over Russian airspace on its way to Rome-Fiumicino (FCO). The return flight to Taipei-Taoyuan (TPE) followed the same route.

Other Taiwanese carriers, such as EVA Air, have since operated flights between Europe and Taiwan through Russian airspace.

Taiwanese carriers have avoided Russian airspace for more than four years. However, this policy appears to have been voluntary, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, rather than based on an official ban.

Overflying Russia is one of only two possible routes left for Taiwanese carriers bound for Europe following the closure of Pakistani airspace.

The other feasible option would see the carriers take a much southerly route, avoiding Chinese airspace from where they are also banned, and flying over the Middle East, a region which has also seen significant airspace disruption in the last year. This route would also add a significant amount of flying time and the related additional fuel consumption.

These operational shifts are taking place in a context of a moderate increase in capacity between Europe and Taiwan. Both EVA Air and China Airlines have increased the number of frequencies to their European routes in 2026, while Starlux Airlines launched its first European service to Prague (PRG) and has announced plans to add new European destinations, such as Barcelona (BCN) and Zurich (ZRH), in 2027.

The post Taiwanese carriers resume Russian overflights after Pakistan airspace ban appeared first on AeroTime.