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2nd Afghanistan-India flight from Kandahar to New Delhi

A SECOND flight from Kandahar, Afghanistan carrying 40 tonnes of fruits, vegetables and medicinal plants destined for New Delhi departed recently. The route is part of a new air corridor with India that was established to boost trade between the two nations by bypassing land routes through Pakistan.

Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani inaugurated the direct air cargo link, and the first flight carried 60 tonnes of hing (asafetida) from Kabul to New Delhi on June 19. Subsequently, a flight from Delhi to Kabul transported 100 tonnes of goods, mainly pharmaceuticals and medical equipment, reported Hindustan Times of New Delhi.

There are plans for up to five flights a week from Kabul and Kandahar to New Delhi.

The idea of creating the air freight corridor was raised by President Ghani during his meeting with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September 2016. The two leaders reached an agreement on the air cargo service when they met in Amritsar in December.

The air corridor aims to increase the annual volume of trade between the two countries, which currently stands at US$700 million.

Landlocked Afghanistan depends on neighbouring countries for all its imports and exports. Even before relations between Kabul and Islamabad became strained over accusations of harbouring militants, Pakistan has stymied Afghanistan's efforts to trade with India.

Following the signing of a transit trade agreement in 2010 between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Islamabad allowed Afghan trucks to carry goods up to the Indian border but barred them from ferrying any Indian goods through Pakistani territory