Taiwanese carriers resumed overflights of Russian airspace in late October 2026, ending a self-imposed avoidance of more than four years, after Pakistan denied Taiwanese airlines access to its airspace and left operators with little practical alternative.
Why the Pakistan Ban Changed Everything for Taiwanese Carriers
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Taiwanese carriers had chosen to avoid Russian airspace voluntarily. According to AeroTime, that self-imposed arrangement persisted for more than four years, with those airlines plotting courses around both Russian and Chinese airspace. A ban on Taiwanese carriers operating through Chinese airspace was already in place, which had substantially reduced the routing options open to them for long-haul services between Taiwan and Europe.
Pakistan's decision to deny Taiwanese airlines access to its airspace removed the southerly corridor that had allowed carriers to avoid Russia. The southerly alternative through the Middle East would have added significant flying time and fuel consumption, according to AeroTime. Faced with that trade-off, carriers moved north.
Bloomberg reported the Pakistan airspace ban on 28 October 2026, though Taiwanese carriers had already begun avoiding Pakistani airspace from around 25 October.
CI75: The Flight That Marked the Change
China Airlines flight CI75, an Airbus A350-900 service bound for Rome-Fiumicino (FCO), left Taipei-Taoyuan (TPE) on the evening of 25 October 2026 via a northerly track that took the aircraft through Russian airspace. The inbound return service, CI75 flying from Rome back to Taipei-Taoyuan, also made use of Russian airspace.
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Flights between Europe and Taiwan operated by EVA Air have likewise been routed through Russian airspace in the period since, as reported by AeroTime. The development carries particular weight given that both China Airlines and EVA Air had been expanding the frequency of their European routes during 2026, making the availability of efficient routing a matter of real operational significance.
A Narrowing Map for Taiwan's Airlines
The geography facing Taiwanese carriers is unusually constrained. Chinese airspace is closed to them. Pakistani airspace is now closed to them. The Russian overflights that they had avoided on principle since 2022 have become, in practical terms, the only workable northern corridor to Europe.
Starlux Airlines, which launched its first European service to Prague and has announced plans to add Barcelona (BCN) and Zurich (ZRH) as European destinations in 2027, faces the same routing constraints as its larger competitors.
The situation illustrates how geopolitical decisions made far from an aircraft's origin or destination can reshape the economics and practicalities of long-haul flying almost overnight.
The Bottom Line
The return of Taiwanese carriers to Russian airspace is a direct consequence of the Pakistan ban, not a reversal of principle. The four-year avoidance had a clear basis; the resumption has an equally clear immediate cause. Whether the Pakistan ban is lifted, or whether carriers find a sustainable alternative routing, will determine how long this arrangement continues.
For readers planning travel between Taiwan and Europe, the routing change is largely invisible from the passenger cabin, but it affects journey times and the airlines' cost base at a moment when European capacity out of Taipei is growing. Our Airline Search tool can help you track which carriers serve the routes you need.
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