Taliban ask airlines to resume international flights to Afghanistan

Published
25
In this file photo, a member of Taliban forces stands guard next to a plane that arrived from Kandahar at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Sept 5, 2021. — Reuters
In this file photo, a member of Taliban forces stands guard next to a plane that arrived from Kandahar at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Sept 5, 2021. — Reuters

The Taliban government in Afghanistan appealed on Sunday for international flights to be resumed, promising full cooperation with airlines and saying that problems at Kabul airport had been resolved.

The statement from the foreign affairs ministry comes as the new administration has stepped up efforts to open up the country and gain international acceptance following the collapse of the Western-backed government last month.

A limited number of aid and passenger flights have been operating from the airport. But normal commercial services have yet to resume since it was closed in the wake of the chaotic evacuation of tens of thousands of foreigners and vulnerable Afghans that followed the Taliban's seizure of the capital.

The airport, which was damaged during the evacuation, has since been reopened with the assistance of technical teams from Qatar and Turkey.

Read more: 12 US troops, 60 Afghans die in blasts at Kabul airport

While some airlines including Pakistan International Airlines have been offering limited services and some people have been able to get places on flights, prices have been reported to be many times higher than normal.

Foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said the suspension of international flights had left many Afghans stranded abroad and also prevented people from travelling for work or study.

“As the problems at Kabul International Airport have been resolved and the airport is fully operational for domestic and international flights, the IEA assures all airlines of its full cooperation,” he said, using an abbreviation for Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the Taliban's term for their new government.

Since taking power, the Taliban have grappled with a severe economic crisis and have faced pressure on issues ranging from girls' education to allegations of reprisals against former officials and others associated with the previous government.

Opinion

Editorial

Makkah pact clarity
Updated 22 Oct, 2026

Makkah pact clarity

Fresh aggression can kick off a firestorm that will be in no one’s control, hence it is best to abandon such reckless plans.
Common ground
22 Oct, 2026

Common ground

IT appears that the PML-N, echoing the PPP’s recent offer, is also willing to re-engage with the opposition, at...
The treatment gap
22 Oct, 2026

The treatment gap

A BREAST cancer diagnosis no longer carries the bleak outlook it did a generation ago. Targeted medicines,...
Real FBR reform
21 Oct, 2026

Real FBR reform

REFORM of the FBR has always been easier to promise than to deliver. Since the late 1990s, governments have tried...
Missing lawmakers
Updated 21 Oct, 2026

Missing lawmakers

Some lawmakers have reportedly been in detention since before Oct 11.
Tackling rabies
21 Oct, 2026

Tackling rabies

RABIES is a deadly but preventable zoonotic disease. On Monday, two more victims succumbed to it in Sindh, taking ...