A United Arab Emirates company on Thursday signed a deal with Afghanistan to manage air traffic across the country as Taliban authorities seek to expand international flights.
While some flights operate out of Kabul Airport, significant additional support is required for major foreign airlines to resume full service.
The full operation of the capital’s airport, which was destroyed during a mass evacuation of civilians in August last year after the Taliban rushed back to power, is seen as crucial to revitalizing Afghanistan’s ailing economy.
On Thursday, Abu Dhabi-based GAAC signed an agreement that it expects will help bring major international airlines back.
The contract is part of more than US$300 million that GAAC plans to invest in Afghanistan over 10 years to develop the country’s aviation sector.
The deal allows GAAC to “operationalize airspace to allow transit of international airlines,” the company’s regional head, Ibrahim Moarafi, told reporters at a news conference.
He said it also allows GAAC to “reestablish the navigation services needed for major international airlines to return to Afghanistan’s airports.”
This includes air traffic control, communication and surveillance systems as well as meteorological services.
The agreement is the third GAAC has signed with the Afghan Ministry of Civil Aviation and Transport this year.
GAAC, which operated in Afghanistan before the Taliban returned to power, has already won separate contracts for ground handling services and screening of passengers at Kabul and other airports.
“Despite our two previous contracts, we still had a certain vacuum in our operations when it came to conducting flights through Afghan airspace,” said Deputy Minister of Aviation and Transport Ghulam Jelani Wafa.
“We lacked equipment while some equipment was broken and our operations were curtailed earlier,” he added.
No country has yet officially recognized the Taliban government, which is increasingly depriving Afghans of their freedoms, especially women.
Air traffic control at Kabul Airport is currently managed by a team of Afghans trained by experts from Uzbekistan and Qatar.
