Afghan flag carrier to resume India, China, Kuwait flights

Kabul, June 10: Afghanistan's flag carrier, Ariana Afghan Airlines, announced that it will soon resume flights to India, China and Kuwait. "Flights will soon start to India, where there are a lot of goods and a number of our passengers are there for treatment. Our flights to India, China and Kuwait will soon start," TOLO News quoted airline chief Rahmatullah Agha as saying.

The airline currently flies twice a week to Doha and it remains unclear how much a ticket for the three new routes will cost.

As India is one of the largest markets for Afghan agricultural and horticultural products, the Afghanistan Chamber of Agriculture and Livestock (ACAL) says that with the start of flights between Kabul and Delhi, the country's exports will increase.

"India's market is a good opportunity for our agriculture sector, now here in Afghanistan it is the season of grapes, pomegranates, apricots, saffron, medicinal plants, we hope that our exports will increase to other countries through air corridors," Mirwais Hajizada, a member of ACAL, was quoted by TOLO News as saying.

Amir Khan Muttaqi, acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, is also optimistic about the growth of the economy and the development of the country's transit.

"Afghanistan is now becoming a transit and economic centre, hundreds of vehicles pass through Afghanistan daily in transit," he said. After the Taliban took over Kabul in August last year, the flag carrier resumed domestic flights the following month.