Afghanistan: First foreign commercial flight lands in Kabul after Taliban takeover

The plane carried a handful of passengers when it landed at Kabul airport on Monday.

A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) became the first foreign commercial flight to land in Kabul since the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan on August 15. The plane carried a handful of passengers when it landed at Kabul airport on Monday.

An AFP journalist who was aboard the flight that took off from Islamabad said that there were around 10 people on the plane which included more staff rather than passengers. According to a PIA spokesman, the Pakistan airline wants to resume regular commercial services. However, it is not yet known how frequently the flights between both capitals would operate.

Reportedly, Taliban is getting technical assistance from Qatar and other countries to restart its air services as Kabul airport was damaged to a great extent during the evacuation process of Afghans and foreign nationals amid the withdrawal of US troops on August 30.

Last week, Qatar Airways operated several charter flights out of Kabul that carried foreigners and a few Afghans who could not leave the country during the evacuation process. Meanwhile, an Afghan airline resumed on September 3 to operate domestic service.