The Taliban announced the resumption of direct flights to China from Afghanistan after a three-year gap, saying this would help boost bilateral economic and political relations.
The first weekly passenger flight of domestic carrier Ariana Afghan Airlines left Kabul on Wednesday in Urumqi, the capital of the western Chinese border province of Xinjiang.
Flight operations were disrupted by COVID-19 in early 2020.
Taliban Deputy Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, Ghulam Jilani Wafa, praised the resumption of air service while speaking to journalists at the Afghan capital’s airport.