Kabul
\nFar above Kabul, the cash-strapped Taliban government has located a potentially lucrative revenue stream: Afghanistan\u2019s airspace. As Israel and Iran\u2019s exchange of missiles threw flight paths into disarray this year, the skies above Afghanistan offered carriers a less turbulent and faster route to ply \u2014 for a flat $700 overflight fee, according to industry insiders.
\nThe US aviation authority eased restrictions on the country\u2019s airspace and paved the way for commercial flyovers in 2023, two years after the Taliban takeover.
\nAirspace that had long been avoided \u2014 as the country endured four decades of war and shifting powerbrokers \u2014 suddenly became a viable option, allowing carriers to abbreviate routes and save on fuel costs.
\nBut it was not until the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June that the route really gained traction, allowing the Taliban government to potentially rake in millions.
\nFaced with shuttered airspace over Iran and Iraq, and unpredictable openings and closures across the Middle East, airlines saw reason to divert course and found refuge over Afghanistan.
\nWhile missiles clogged the neighbouring airspace, \u201cthe risk of flying over Afghanistan (was) virtually zero\u201d, said France-based aerospace and defence consultant Xavier Tytelman.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s like flying over the sea.\u201d
\nMay\u2019s average of 50 planes cutting through Afghanistan each day skyrocketed to around 280 after June 13, when war erupted in the neighbourhood, data from tracking website Flightradar24 showed.
\nSince then, in any given day, more than 200 planes often traverse Afghanistan \u2014 equivalent to roughly $4.2 million a month, though this figure is difficult to verify as the authorities do not publish budgets and have declined to comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kabul Far above Kabul, the cash-strapped Taliban government has located a potentially lucrative revenue stream: Afghanistan\u2019s airspace. As Israel and Iran\u2019s exchange of missiles threw flight paths into disarray this year, the skies above Afghanistan offered carriers a less turbulent and faster route to ply \u2014 for a flat $700 overflight fee, according to industry […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":499920,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-499903","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n