Saifullah Ansar /DNA
ISLAMABAD/— China has approved an exclusive airspace corridor for Pakistan to operate direct flights to Bangladesh without traversing Indian airspace, officials familiar with the development said on Tuesday.
The decision, which provides Pakistani carriers a northern routing via western China into the Bay of Bengal corridor, is expected to shorten flight times on select sectors while reshaping regional overflight dynamics.
According to aviation officials, the approved routing will allow Pakistan’s civil aviation authorities and national carriers to plan direct services linking major Pakistani cities with Dhaka and other Bangladeshi destinations through designated Chinese airways.
The arrangement is understood to have been finalized following technical consultations between air navigation service providers and civil aviation regulators, with flight planning to be phased in once operational approvals and slot allocations are completed.
Industry analysts say the corridor could reduce fuel burn and scheduling uncertainty arising from limited or sensitive routings across the subcontinent. Overflight approvals and air traffic management in the region have often been subject to geopolitical considerations, with carriers balancing efficiency against airspace constraints.
For regional aviation, the corridor underscores the growing role of China’s airspace infrastructure in connecting South and West Asia. It also highlights the interplay of bilateral air services agreements, ICAO principles governing overflight rights, and state-to-state coordination on air traffic flows.
Bangladeshi aviation stakeholders have signaled interest in reciprocal schedule alignment, including potential code-sharing and cargo cooperation, contingent on final timetables and safety assessments.
Pakistani carriers are expected to announce inaugural schedules after conducting demonstration flights and completing regulatory compliance.
Chinese civil aviation sources emphasized that safety, capacity, and orderly traffic management guided the approval, noting that all operations will comply with international aviation standards and real-time air traffic control protocols.
If implemented as planned, the corridor could mark a notable shift in South Asian air connectivity, offering a new template for route diversification amid evolving regional realities.
