Aviation insurers hold back on Afghanistan flights after U.S. troops leave

Aviation insurers are unwilling to insure commercial flights into Afghanistan because of the risk of attacks after US troops left the country, making it hard to deliver aid or evacuate people, industry sources said. Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers took control of the airport in Kabul on Tuesday after a massive airlift of more than 123,000 people by the United States and its allies ended. read more Bruce Carman, chief underwriting officer at Hive Aero, said his firm had been able to offer insurance cover for evacuation flights last week, but "no one can fly there right now". Shortly before the final pullout of US forces on Monday, an executive with an airline involved in the evacuation flights said it was already hard to find insurers willing to quote for Afghanistan. Lack of air traffic control services, rocket attacks and reports of hostilities around the airport make insuring flights to the Afghan capital exceptionally risky, sources said. Afghanistan's airspace was "released to the military" in mid-August and the aviation authority advised airlines to avoid its air corridors.<br/>