flydubai becomes first international carrier to resume Kabul flights

DUBAI: Low-cost carrier flydubai announced flights to Kabul on Thursday, becoming the first international airline to resume services since US forces’ chaotic withdrawal in 2021.

Twice-daily flights will begin on November 15, the Dubai-based airline said. Taliban authorities swiftly returned to power after the hasty US evacuation.

“flydubai... announced today the resumption of flights to Kabul International Airport,” said a statement on the carrier’s website.

An airlift of more than 120,000 people from the Kabul airport marked the end of a 20-year occupation by US forces following the September 11, 2001 attacks.

A suicide bombing on the airport’s perimeter, targeting crowds who were desperate to flee the country, killed more than 170 people including 13 US troops. The full operation of Kabul’s airport — which was trashed during the mass evacuation of civilians — is seen as crucial to reviving Afghanistan’s shattered economy.