KARACHI: An Afghanistan-based private airline, which previously operated three weekly flights to Pakistan, has decided to resume its Islamabad operations, said a Pakistani aviation official on Thursday.
Kam Air’s decision comes just a few days after Afghanistan’s aviation ministry wrote a letter to the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA), saying that the new administration in Kabul wanted to keep a smooth flow of passengers between the two countries.
It added that the two Afghan airlines — Ariana and Kam Air — wanted to commence their scheduled flights to Pakistan under their memoranda of understanding signed with the Pakistani authorities.
“Afghanistan’s Kam Air, which flew three times a week between Kabul and Islamabad, has told us it wants to resume its flights,” a PCAA spokesperson told Arab News.
“We had also received a similar request from Afghanistan’s national flag carrier, Ariana Afghan Airlines, before the Taliban takeover and will grant permission to its management once the PCAA requirements are fulfilled,” he continued.
The Afghan aviation ministry’s letter to Pakistan also maintained the Kabul airport was “damaged” by US forces before last month’s pullout, adding the facility had been made operational with the technical support of “our Qatari brothers.”
Kam Air did not respond to an email request for a comment regarding when it planned to resume its operations.
At present, the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is operating chartered flights between the capitals of the two countries and charging $1,300 per passenger.
The one-way fare, which is much higher than what the airlines previously charged, was confirmed by a PIA spokesperson.
PIA officials briefly suspended the special evacuation flights to Kabul on August 25 due to safety concerns since the airport’s technical crew had gone missing after the Taliban captured the Afghan capital on August 15.
The airport largely remained dysfunctional after the pullout of international forces. However, Qatar Airways was the first international airline to land in Kabul last week. This was followed by a PIA chartered flight carrying foreign journalists to Kabul on Monday.
Iran also resumed commercial flights to neighboring Afghanistan on Wednesday. The Iranian civil aviation agency had announced an interruption of flight operation to Afghanistan on August 16, only a day after the fall of Kabul, for security reasons.
Afghanistan’s Kam Air tells Pakistan aviation authority it wants to resume Islamabad flights
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Afghanistan’s Kam Air tells Pakistan aviation authority it wants to resume Islamabad flights
- Afghanistan’s aviation ministry recently told Pakistan the new administration in Kabul wanted smooth flow of passengers between the two countries
- Iran has already resumed its commercial flights to Kabul after briefly suspending them in the wake of the Taliban takeover last month
Pakistan air chief highlights modernization as PAF marks seven years since India aerial clash
- Swift Retort was launched in 2019 after India attempted airstrikes following a Kashmir suicide bombing
- Air chief’s remarks come amid fierce clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan over cross-border militancy
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s air chief said on Friday the country’s air force had undertaken “comprehensive modernization and indigenization” in recent years, as he addressed a ceremony at Air Headquarters to mark seven years since an aerial confrontation with India.
Operation Swift Retort was launched on Feb. 27, 2019, a day after India attempted airstrikes inside Pakistan following a suicide bombing in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary troops.
Pakistan responded with aerial strikes across the Line of Control and shot down an Indian fighter jet in a subsequent dogfight, capturing one pilot who was later returned in what Islamabad called a gesture of de-escalation.
“PAF has pursued comprehensive modernization and indigenization to transition into a Next Generation Air Force,” Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu said, according to a statement circulated by the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations.
He added that the force had recalibrated its operational doctrine and rapidly inducted advanced combat and support capabilities, including indigenously developed unmanned systems, electronic warfare, space and cyber assets, establishing what he described as a “home-grown multi-domain kill chain.”
Sidhu said Pakistan remained committed to peace but would respond decisively to violations of its sovereignty.
“Pakistan is a responsible country which desires peace with honor,” he continued.
The remarks come amid renewed security tensions on Pakistan’s western frontier.
Islamabad earlier this week launched airstrikes inside Afghanistan targeting what it described as hideouts of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Daesh militants. Afghan authorities condemned the strikes and subsequently launched their own military response that led to fierce clashes between the two sides overnight.
Pakistan has frequently accused Kabul of allowing militant groups to use Afghan territory to carry out cross-border attacks on Pakistani civilians and security forces, an allegation denied by Afghan officials.
Pakistani authorities said earlier in the day small drones launched from the Afghan side were intercepted and brought down by the country’s air defense systems.
Sidhu said the PAF would continue to maintain a vigilant yet responsible defense posture to safeguard national sovereignty.
