NDTV:
Pakistan briefly closed its airspace to Taiwanese cargo and passenger flights, Taiwan said Thursday, suspecting China of being behind the unprecedented move.
“We suspect definitely China was behind this,” Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi told AFP after confirming that Pakistan had closed and reopened its airspace to Taiwanese airlines.
China Airlines and EVA Air, which are both based in Taiwan, normally fly over Pakistan on their Asia-Europe route.
Last weekend, however, they began rerouting their Europe-bound flights further south over the Gulf or further north over Russia, AFP analysis of flight tracking data shows.
“China Airlines and EVA received a notice from the Pakistan authorities that they will lift the ban, but only temporarily… till the end of the winter,” Chen said.
Neither airline would confirm that Pakistan had closed or reopened its airspace when contacted by AFP.
“We condemn Pakistan and if China is behind this, I think that is a very bad practice to use its leverage over the countries in the Global South to do that,” Chen said.
“I think that gets in the way of the safety of the passengers and the smooth operation of the global supply chain.”
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