'They will fly': MEA on direct India-Taiwan flights after Pak blocks airspace

The ministry’s comment means direct air links between India and Taiwan are possible if airlines are allowed to operate them. It was a short, conditional response rather than a formal announcement of new flights. The issue gained attention because Pakistan reportedly stopped Taiwanese carriers from using its airspace under its One China policy.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “if there are direct flights then they will fly,” when asked whether India and Taiwan could have direct flights. His wording implies that airlines would use a direct India–Taiwan connection if such services were available. It does not identify a route, airline, schedule, or approval process.

The comment also suggests that Pakistan’s restriction could make India a more relevant route option for Taiwanese carriers heading west. The article does not say that India has approved new flights or that airlines have applied for them. It only indicates that direct connectivity could be explored amid changing regional flight paths.

Pakistan restricted access to its airspace for Taiwanese carriers. Defence minister Khawaja Asif said the country’s aviation policy permits only mainland Chinese airlines to fly over Pakistan. The decision applies Pakistan’s stated One China position to aviation access.

The two Taiwanese airlines specifically identified were China Airlines Ltd and EVA Airways Corp. Bloomberg, citing flight-tracking data, reported that neither had flown over Pakistani airspace since the morning of October 25. That evidence showed a change in actual flight paths, not merely a political statement.

The restriction forced affected flights to consider longer alternatives when travelling toward Europe. The article describes Pakistan as the first country reported to have taken this step against Taiwanese carriers. It also connects the decision to Islamabad’s close relationship with Beijing and its repeated commitment to the One China principle.

The article identifies two Taiwanese airlines affected by the reported restriction. They are China Airlines Ltd and EVA Airways Corp. Bloomberg used flight-tracking data to report that both had stopped flying over Pakistani airspace.

The report said the change began after the morning of October 25. Aviation observers noticed that some Taiwanese flights were taking longer routes to reach Europe. The article does not provide a larger count of all Taiwanese airlines or every affected flight, so the specific number supported here is two airlines.

Their rerouting illustrates how a policy decision can alter international flight paths. The named carriers previously used routes through India, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan on at least some journeys. After the restriction, some flights instead travelled entirely over Russian airspace, adding distance compared with their earlier paths.

The One China policy is a political position that recognises Taiwan as part of China rather than as a separate state. The article says Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory, while Taipei says the island is self-governed and rejects Beijing’s claim. That disagreement shapes how countries handle relations with Taiwanese institutions.

Pakistan said its aviation policy follows this principle. Defence minister Khawaja Asif stated that only mainland Chinese airlines are allowed to fly over Pakistani airspace. In effect, Pakistan treated Taiwanese carriers differently because of Taiwan’s contested political status and its support for Beijing’s position.

Airspace access is therefore more than a technical routing question. A country can attach diplomatic conditions to permissions for foreign carriers. The article presents Pakistan’s restriction as an example of foreign policy affecting commercial aviation. Other countries may make different choices, including exploring direct India–Taiwan connectivity, as India’s MEA indicated.

The immediate effect is a change in flight path. Taiwanese aircraft travelling to Europe can no longer use the reported route through India and Pakistan, so they must find another corridor. The article says some flights began taking longer routes after Pakistan’s restriction.

A China Airlines flight from Taipei to Rome on October 24 provides a clear example. It flew through Russian airspace, bypassing its earlier route through India, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan. Aviation observers also saw Taiwanese flights using Russian airspace entirely since the weekend.

Longer routes generally require more flying time, fuel, and crew or aircraft planning. They can also affect schedules and passenger convenience. Those trade-offs are established features of airline rerouting; the article does not quantify them. What it does show is that a diplomatic decision changed the practical route between Taiwan and Europe.

The alternative route described was entirely over Russian airspace. Flightradar24 data showed a China Airlines flight from Taipei to Rome using that path on October 24, rather than its earlier route through India, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan.

This example shows the mechanism clearly. When Pakistan’s airspace became unavailable to Taiwanese carriers, the flight bypassed the affected corridor and travelled north through Russia. The change allowed the service to continue toward Europe, but it increased the distance compared with the previous routing, according to the article’s description of the route as longer.

For airlines, longer flights can increase fuel use, flight time, crew planning needs, and operating costs. Passengers may face longer journeys or altered schedules. These are general aviation consequences; the article gives no cost or duration figures. It does establish that the rerouting was already happening after observers detected the restriction.

A country’s airspace is under its national control, so it can set conditions for foreign aircraft flying across it. Airlines generally need permission to use international air routes over a country. Those permissions can reflect safety rules, commercial arrangements, or political decisions.

Pakistan used that authority by saying only mainland Chinese airlines could fly over its airspace. Defence minister Khawaja Asif linked the rule directly to the One China policy. As a result, Taiwanese carriers were reportedly excluded, even though their flights had previously used routes through Pakistan.

The decision also reflected Pakistan’s relationship with China. The article describes their partnership as an “iron-clad friendship” and an “all-weather” partnership dating from diplomatic relations established in 1951. Pakistan had called Taiwan an “inalienable part” of China in January. Airspace policy therefore became a visible expression of diplomatic alignment.