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Afghanistan reopens direct flight to China with Kabul-Urumqi service
- Ariana will fly weekly between the Afghan capital and Xinjiang after three-year, pandemic-induced break
- There is strong demand for an air link between the two countries, analyst says
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The resumption of direct flights between Afghanistan and China after three years reflects strong demand for exchanges between the two countries, according to an observer.
Afghan national carrier Ariana Afghan Airlines will operate a round-trip flight between Kabul and Urumqi every Wednesday.
The flight was first launched in 2003 but was suspended in early 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
At a ceremony in Kabul on Wednesday to mark the resumption of the route, Ghulam Jilani Wafa, the Taliban’s deputy minister for transport and civil aviation, said the air link would “directly enhance economic, political, and commercial ties” between Afghanistan and China.
Chinese diplomats also attended the event although Beijing has not officially recognised the Taliban government since it took power in August 2021.
Zhu Yongbiao, director of the Afghan studies centre at Lanzhou University, said the resumption of the direct flight was the result of growing trade and business ties, though passenger flow was still limited.
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