Afghanistan and Qatar agree on direct flights
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3 February, Kabul Officials from the Afghan and Qatari administrations announced that direct flights between Kabul and Doha will commence soon.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Transportation and Civil Aviation said that “Afghan and Qatari airlines would be performing flights to Doha-Kabul each week” based on a mutual agreement, according to TOLO News.
“The Islamic Emirate of Qatar and Qatar Airways have agreed to begin flights between Kabul and Doha. Flights to Doha would be operated by Afghan airlines, while flights to Kabul will be operated by Qatari carriers”, Imamuddin Ahmadi, a spokesperson for the ministry, said on Wednesday.
The introduction of flights between Kabul and Doha, according to analysts, will enhance Afghanistan’s aviation industry.
“The introduction of flights from Qatar to Afghanistan and Afghanistan to Qatar is a significant step forward for Afghanistan aviation”, an economist, Sayed Masoud, told TOLO News.
Former chairman of the Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority (ACAA), Mohammad Qassim Wafayizada, claimed the flights will help lower ticket prices and improve the country’s aviation services.
“It might be beneficial because Afghanistan relies on two primary transit hubs for flights: Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Qatar Airways is a well-known airline that is allowed to fly to 173 destinations”, he adds.
Kabul and Doha signed a bilateral air aviation cooperation agreement in 2005, according to Wafayizada, but due to political issues, direct flights between the two countries were not possible.
