Turkish Airlines to resume flights to Kabul after nearly three years

Turkish Airlines will resume flights to Kabul on May 21, marking its first return to the Afghan capital since the US withdrawal in 2021

Turkish Airlines will resume flights to Kabul on May 21, its first return to the Afghan capital since the tumultuous withdrawal of US forces in 2021. The airport sustained significant damage during the mass evacuation of people that followed the retreat.

“Our world is expanding, and we are starting flights from Kabul to Istanbul four times a week,” Turkish Airlines said in an online commercial. The service will be available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, providing an essential link between Kabul and Istanbul.

Turkish Airlines has resumed flights, following the lead of flydubai, a United Arab Emirates-based airline that became the first foreign carrier to return to Kabul in Nov. 2023. The reintroduction of these foreign flights is viewed as critical to the recovery of Afghanistan’s battered economy.

In addition to flydubai, Afghanistan’s Kam Air and Ariana Afghan Airlines now provide limited service from Kabul to a number of destinations, including Dubai, Moscow, Islamabad, and Istanbul.

Source: AFP