Low-cost carrier flydubai is first international airline to resume Kabul flights since 2021

Low-cost carrier flydubai announced flights to Kabul on Thursday, becoming the first international airline to resume services since a chaotic withdrawal by US forces from the country in 2021. Twice-daily flights will begin on Nov 15, the Dubai-based airline said. Taliban authorities swiftly returned to power after the hasty US evacuation. “flydubai... announced today the resumption of flights to Kabul International Airport,” said a statement on the carrier’s website. An airlift of more than 120,000 people from the Kabul airport marked the end of a 20-year occupation by US forces following the September 11, 2001 attacks. A suicide bombing on the airport’s perimeter, targeting crowds who were desperate to flee the country, killed more than 170 people. The full operation of Kabul’s airport – which was trashed during the mass evacuation of civilians – is seen as crucial to reviving Afghanistan’s shattered economy. Currently, Afghanistan’s Kam Air and Ariana Afghan Airlines operate limited services from Kabul to destinations including Dubai, Moscow, Islamabad and Istanbul. Last year, a United Arab Emirates company, GAAC, signed a contract to manage Afghanistan’s air traffic, an agreement that was expected to bring back international airlines.<br/>