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In recent years, after two fatal accidents, airlines have become more concerned about the risk of flying over conflict areas.
The Taliban took control of the Presidential Palace in Kabul, the US-led troops withdrew, and Western countries scrambled to evacuate their citizens. Major airlines are changing routes to avoid Afghan airspace.
United Airlines, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airlines said they did not use the country’s airspace.
A United Airlines spokeswoman said the change affects several flights the airline flies from the United States to India.
Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 showed that there were few commercial flights over Afghanistan at 03:00 GMT on Monday, while many aircraft flew over neighboring Pakistan and Iran.
In recent years, after two fatal incidents involving surface-to-air missiles, airlines and governments have paid more attention to the risk of flying over conflict areas.
In 2014, a Malaysia Airlines plane was shot down over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board. A Ukraine International Airlines plane was shot down by the Iranian military in 2020, killing all 176 passengers and crew.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed new flight restrictions on American Airlines and other U.S. operators in Afghanistan in July.
The FAA stated that the Kabul flight information zone prohibits flying below 26,000 feet, and the area mainly covers Afghanistan, unless entering and exiting at Hamid Karzai International Airport, citing the risk of “extremist/radical activities”.
These restrictions do not apply to U.S. military operations.
According to Safe Airspace, a website that tracks such warnings, other countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and France, have also advised airlines to keep Afghanistan’s altitude at least 25,000 feet.
Korean Air said that some of its cargo flights used Afghan airspace, but passenger flights did not.
A spokesperson said: “Due to the situation in Afghanistan, our cargo flights are flying higher.” “We are closely monitoring the situation and plan to consider changing routes if necessary.”
Taiwan’s China Airlines said that it is closely monitoring developments and will adjust its routes in accordance with the airspace instructions of the United States and the European Union if necessary. It did not elaborate.
Commercial flights preparing to land in Afghanistan are also affected by ground chaos. The airline stated on its website that Emirates has suspended flights to Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, until further notice.
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