Direct flights to two more Afghan cities and Amritsar

Two more Afghan cities,Mazar-e-Sharif in Afghanistan’s north, and Herat in the west will be connected by direct flights to Delhi, which is expected to further ease trade and commerce between the two countries.The inaugural direct flight took off from the Maulana Jalalludin Balkhi airport in Mazar-e-Sharif for Indira Gandhi International Airport on 2 October. Kam Air (a private airline of the Kamgar Group) will operate two flights a week from Mazar-e-Sharif, on Mondays and Wednesdays, and from Herat on Tuesdays and Fridays. In June, India and Afghanistan had launched a dedicated air freight corridor, which obviates the need for clearances by Pakistan. Currently, Air India and SpiceJet operate direct flights from Delhi to Kabul.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to India Shaida Mohanmmad Abdali has said, “We plan to resume the air freight and passenger services link between Amritsar and Kabul by 31 December…to make Amritsar a major gateway for import and export between the two nations.”