Qatar Airways Becomes First Commercial Airplane To Take Off From Kabul Airport

Photo by Francesco Patrinostro on Unsplash

JAKARTA - Qatar Airways is recorded in the history of Kabul Airport after it is now fully controlled by the Taliban. The airline became the first commercial aircraft to take off from Kabul Airport after the departure of all US troops.

After the US and its allies withdrew from Afghanistan, practically no one else operated this airport. Technical teams from Qatar and Turkey then helped Afghanistan to be able to carry out the renovation and operation of this airport.

The Qatar Airways plane had already arrived in Kabul on Thursday, September 9 with relief supplies. The plane then left Kabul for Doha with passengers, including foreigners.

Qatari officials previously said that the Afghan Taliban government would allow between 100 and 150 Westerners, including Americans, to fly out of Kabul in the coming hours.

"This is a historic day in Afghanistan's history as Kabul airport is fully operational. We have faced great challenges ... but now we can say that this airport is worthy of navigation," said Mutlaq al-Qahtani, Qatar's special envoy to Afghanistan, as quoted by the news agency. Al Jazeera.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid thanked Qatar for helping to make the airport operational again. So that humanitarian aid can come to Afghanistan.

"In the near future, the airport will be ready for all types of flights, including commercial flights," said Mujahid.

Al-Qahtani previously said the Qatar Airways plane would be the first international commercial flight from Kabul airport since American troops left in late August.

"Call it what you want, charter or commercial flights, everyone has a ticket and a boarding pass," al-Qahtani said from the tarmac, adding that another flight would take off on Friday.

"Hopefully, life becomes normal in Afghanistan."

Alex Macheras, an aviation analyst, told Al Jazeera it was a charter flight.

"This is not a commercial flight where the airline sells tickets to paying passengers [inaudible] ... as part of the schedule," he said,