International Flights Latest News Today: India to Resume Commercial Flights With This Country Soon | Read Details

New Delhi: As large number of Indians are still stranded in Afghanistan, the Centre is reportedly mulling to allow commercial flight operations from Kabul to India soon. The last commercial flight between India and Afghanistan was operated by Air India on the Kabul-Delhi route on August 15, the day Kabul fell to the Taliban. Afghanistan airspace was declared ‘uncontrolled’ by the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on August 16. For the unversed, the Taliban took full control of the Kabul airport on August 31 after the last batch of US forces left Afghanistan on August 30.

Officials said that the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in India has received a letter from civil aviation wing of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan seeking permission for Afghan national carriers to resume scheduled commercial flights between the two countries.  The letter dated September 7, 2021 also mentioned that the Kabul airport has become operational.

What does the letter say? 

“As you are well informed that recently the Kabul airport was damaged and (left) dysfunctional by American troops before their withdrawal”, Akhunzada said in his letter”, CAA’s Acting Minister Alhaj Hameedullah Akhunzada said in the letter.

“The intention of this letter is to keep the smooth passenger movement between two countries based on signed MoU and our national carriers (Ariana Afghan airline and Kam Air) aim to commence their scheduled flights. Therefore, Afghanistan CAA requests you to facilitate their commercial flights. The civil aviation of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan avails its highest assurance,” he stated further.

While the DGCA is yet to take a final decision in the matter, officials also said that the government is considering the request in view of the stranded Indians.

Around 2,000 Indian workers still stuck in the war-torn nation

According to the sources, around 2,000 Indian workers were employed in various developmental projects in Afghanistan and around 50 per cent of them have not been able to make contact with the Indian authorities that facilitated the evacuations. Many Indian traders also chose to remain there at that time, the sources added.

However, the Ministry of External Affairs had said that a small number of Indians are stuck in the war-torn nation, reiterating that evacuation of the remaining Indians from Afghanistan will depend on the resumption of special or commercial flights once Kabul airport gets operational.

 

source https://www.india.com/news/world/international-flights-latest-news-today-1-october-2021-indian-government-to-take-big-decision-soon-vande-bharat-mission-read-details-here-5000954/