FAA says Kabul airport now uncontrolled, US carriers barred from flights

Kabul airport is without air traffic control services now that the US military has withdrawn from Afghanistan, and US civil aircraft are barred from operating over the country unless given prior authorization, the US FAA said Monday. The FAA said that "due to both the lack of air traffic services and a functional civil aviation authority in Afghanistan, as well as ongoing security concerns, US civil operators, pilots, and US-registered civil aircraft are prohibited from operating at any altitude over much of Afghanistan." Earlier this month, the US military said it had assumed air traffic control responsibilities in Kabul to facilitate the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan. The FAA said US civil operators "may continue to use one high-altitude jet route near the far eastern border for overflights. Any US civil aircraft operator that wants to fly into/out of or over Afghanistan must receive prior authorization from the FAA."<br/>