Afghanistan Times
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KABUL — Afghanistan’s once-quiet skies are now a major international air corridor as global airlines rush to reroute flights around the war zone engulfing the Middle East. Flights traversing Afghan airspace have skyrocketed by 500% over the past week, with an average of 280 planes flying daily over the country since Israel launched strikes on Iran on June 13, according to aviation data from Flightradar24.
The sudden increase comes after much of the Middle East — including Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon — effectively became a no-fly zone due to the escalating conflict and the potential for further regional escalation involving the United States. Major carriers such as Air France-KLM and American Airlines have either canceled or reduced services to the region, forcing flight planners to turn to safer, alternative routes.
As a result, the skies over Taliban-controlled Afghanistan — once considered off-limits due to security risks — have become a critical transit zone linking Asia with Europe and North America. This rerouting has also brought new financial windfalls for the Taliban authorities, who reopened the country’s airspace in 2023 following a two-year ban after the U.S. withdrawal.
“Afghanistan has become one of the busiest overflight zones in Asia,” said a regional aviation expert, noting that this week’s average of 280 flights compares with just 50 daily crossings last month. “The Taliban are now profiting significantly from overflight fees.”
While some carriers had cautiously resumed flying over Afghanistan late last year, this week’s surge is unprecedented. Neighboring Saudi Arabia has also seen traffic double, with over 1,400 flights using its airspace daily as aircraft skirt around the conflict zone to the north.
Analysts warn that as long as the Iran-Israel conflict continues, Afghanistan’s strategic importance for civil aviation will only grow — along with the Taliban’s leverage over a crucial segment of international air travel.
