Saturday, August 24, 2024 In recent months, airlines such as Singapore Airlines, British Airways, and Lufthansa have increasingly rerouted their flights over Afghanistan, a country that has long been a strategic yet troubled airspace. This shift comes after years of avoidance following the Taliban’s return to power and the subsequent cessation of air traffic control services in the region. The re-emergence of Afghanistan as a viable air corridor is primarily driven by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, particularly the tensions between Iran and Israel, which have made alternative routes through the region less desirable.
For decades, Afghanistan’s airspace has been a critical passage for flights traveling between Asia and Europe. However, the takeover by the Taliban in 2021 and the subsequent collapse of its aviation infrastructure led many airlines to seek alternative routes. With the increasing instability in the Middle East, particularly in the airspaces over Iran and Syria, airlines are now reconsidering the Afghan corridor, which, despite its risks, is currently viewed as a relatively safer option.
Ian Petchenik, a spokesperson for the flight tracking organization Flightradar24, explained the change in strategy, stating, “As conflicts have evolved, the calculus of which airspace to use has changed. Airlines are seeking to mitigate risk as much as possible and they see overflying Afghanistan as the safer option given the current tensions between Iran and Israe.