Khost City-UAE flights underway uninterrupted

KHOST CITY (Pajhwok): Commercial flights from Khost City, the capital of southeastern Khost province to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) continued unabated for the past year, an official said on Saturday.

In the past planes flew between Khost City and the UAE periodically but it was for the first time that this activity took place sometimes without suspension.

Some Khost residents working in the UAE have said they were happy to see flights taking place between Khost City and the UAE regularly and instead of Kabul the planes landed in their province.

Mohammad Amin, an Afghan national in the UAE, told Pajhwok Afghan News: “It was the first time I landed at Khost airport, I landed in a very good atmosphere before we were landed in Kabul and then we traveled by car for three to four hours to Khost, it was very difficult.”

He said apart from the UEA, most Afghans hailing from Khost province, worked in other Gulf States but they have been deprived of this opportunity to land in Khost City.

He asked officials to launch direct flights between Khost City and other Gulf States.

Ismael, another Afghan national, said: “There are many of our brothers in other Arab countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar, they should be also facilitated to have direct transit flights to Dubai and from Dubai to Khost.”

Khan Jan, another Afghan national hailing from Khost province, said: “Currently, only Aryana and Kam Air have direct Khost City-Dubai flights, there is a need for Fly Dubai and Al Arabia should also launch direct flights.”

Shabir Ahmad Usmani, head of the Information and Cultural Affairs Department, said that it was planned to provide more facilities to the Khost Airport and launch direct flights to other destinations.

He said for the first time direct flights took place from Khost City to Dubai without suspension in the past one year.

“Work is underway to start domestic flights from Khost City to other provinces and we will witness this soon.”

Last year on January 26, Aryana and Kam Air Airlines for the first time launched direct flights from Khost City to UAE’s Abu Dhabi and Al Ain Cites.

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