Int'l aircraft avoid using Afghan airspace, usage down by 80 per cent

The Taliban have said that in recent months use of Afghan airspace by international aircraft have been down by 80 per cent and it has impacted the earning of the Afghan government, reported local media.

In twenty-four hours, sixty to seventy planes pass through the country airspace, and Afghanistan earns USD 700 from each plane passing through the country's airspace, reported TOLOnews citing Officials from Afghanistan's Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation (MTCA).

Ghulam Jailani Wafa, deputy director of the MTCA said, "In these days, the figures show that around 60 to 70 flights pass through our airspace in twenty-four hours."

Officials have also said that as a foreign company takes control of the technical aspect of the country's airports, the flights over the airspace of the country will increase. The Taliban are in negotiations with foreign countries to hand over the technical management of airports in the country.

"When we provide good services, it will be cheaper for the airlines to pass through Afghanistan's airspace and will pass through it," TOLOnews quoted Emamuddin Ahmadi, a spokesman of the ministry as saying.

Meanwhile, a deputy minister of the former Afghan government has said that most of the international airlines do have safety issues with Afghanistan's airspace.

Imamuddin Varimach, former deputy minister of transport and aviation, "Currently, the international airlines do not consider the airspace of Afghanistan safe, so they have changed all their routes."

Notably, Afghanistan has six air corridors that connect South Asia to Central Asia.

( With inputs from ANI )

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor