Officials from the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) said that currently flights via air corridors have been suspended and there are only cargo flights via air corridor to China.

image1

According to ACCI officials, the suspension of flights via air corridors has created challenges in exporting merchants’ goods abroad. The officials said they have been trying to solve the problem, but have made no progress to date.

"ACCI had been trying to bring facilities and easiness, but so far, there is no progress," ACCI’s deputy head Khairuddin Mayel said.

Before the collapse of the former government, Afghan goods used to be transported out of the country to world markets through air corridors from airports in four provinces: Kabul, Kandahar, Balkh and Herat.

Meanwhile, a number of traders urged the Islamic Emirate to solve the problem and facilitate the export of goods to world markets via air corridors.

"During the former government, air corridors were active and most of the goods were exported via the corridors. Also, at that time there was subsidies for the export of goods through the corridors," Zalmai Azimi, a trader said.

According to ACCI, currently only the air corridor between Afghanistan and China is active, and so far 1,500 tons of pine nuts habe been exported to China in cargo flights.

ACCI’s statistics show that in the past five years, 1,800 flights transported goods valued at $600 million through air corridors to a number of countries including India, the United Arab Emirates, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany.