Nearly 1,100 cargo flights operated from Kabul airport in 6 months — Pajhwok

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation (MoTCA) says nearly 1,100 cargo flights have been made from Kabul International Airport in the first six months of the current year. In a statement, the ministry said 111 of these were dedicated cargo flights, which imported and exported 7,535.097 tonnes of goods, while 965 passenger-cargo flights transported around 10,351 tonnes of goods. It said these cargo and combined flights were conducted by various airlines to India, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Türkiye and a number of other countries. It added that MoTCA had introduced significant discounts on some services to further expand cargo flights and reduce costs for traders. The ministry noted that the aviation security fee, which was previously $100 per tonne of cargo, has now been reduced to $10. Similarly, the ground handling fee, which was previously $96 per tonne, has now been reduced to $40. It said a 25 percent discount had also been introduced on relevant services for regular dedicated cargo flights, while a 50 percent discount was available for irregular dedicated cargo flights. “These facilities have been introduced to reduce cargo transportation costs, facilitate the movement of commercial goods by air and strengthen the country’s trade relations with international markets,” the statement concluded.