Sharjah-based Air Arabia announced on Wednesday the upcoming launch of a daily flight to Kabul, becoming the second UAE airline, after flydubai, to serve the Afghan capital. In a statement, the low-cost airline belonging to the emirate of Sharjah specified that the new service would be launched from January 10.
“Kabul is the latest addition to our network from Sharjah, which will allow our customers from the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere to discover our products,” said Adel Al-Ali, general manager of the Air Arabia group, in the press release. . “Air Arabia’s direct flights to Kabul demonstrate our ongoing commitment to providing passengers with affordable, quality travel and new destinations to explore,” he added.
Flights operated by two Afghan companies
flydubai was the first international airline to land a plane in Kabul again on November 15 since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, Afghanistan having until then only been served by two national companies. The Dubai company operates two flights per day to Kabul airport which, when the Taliban returned to power, experienced scenes of chaos, with many residents trying by all means to leave the country.
For two years, only the Afghan companies Kam Air and Ariana Afghan Airlines have offered connections between Kabul and Dubai, Islamabad, Moscow or Istanbul. The resumption of flights at Kabul airport is seen as essential to restarting the country’s stricken economic activity. The Taliban authorities signed a contract in 2022 with the Emirati company GAAC to manage and develop navigation services there.