India and Afghanistan to launch air cargo services
India is planning to launch air cargo services with Afghanistan to boost trade between the nations, an Indian foreign ministry official has said.
The decision was made during a visit to New Delhi this week by Afghanistan’s Taliban Trade Minister Nooruddin Azizi.
Air freight corridors between Afghanistan and Delhi and Amritsar have been activated, Anand Prakash, a top official in the Indian foreign ministry, said on Friday.
“All formalities from our side are over,” Prakash said. “We are waiting for all the papers from their (Afghan) side ... Once they complete them, cargo flights will start.”
Azizi had called on India to boost trade and open cargo hubs with Afghanistan. The Taliban has been seeking access to grain, medicine, and industrial goods since its border with Pakistan was shut following military clashes between the two countries in October.
India backed Afghanistan in its latest conflict with Pakistan.
India has reopened its embassy in Kabul in October after a four-year gap.
The embassy in Kabul was closed after the Taliban took control following the US withdrawal in 2021. The embassy building had been operating as a technical mission to help facilitate Indian humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
Indian airlines do not operate flights to Afghanistan, although Afghan carriers operate passenger services between Kabul and Delhi.
Pakistan has banned Indian carriers from flying in its airspace since tensions erupted earlier this year following a terror attack in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
India and Afghanistan have historically friendly relations.
