India, Afghanistan set to resume cargo flights, bypassing Pakistan border blockade

UPDATED: Nov 28, 2025 16:34 IST

The breakthrough occurred during Afghan Commerce and Industry Minister Al-Haj Nooruddin Azizi’s five-day visit to India, a trip aimed at reducing Kabul’s dependence on Pakistan. Over the past year, Islamabad has repeatedly closed border crossings, restricted movement, and limited cross-border trade following military clashes, choking Afghan exports and stranding thousands of traders.

A senior Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official announced that air freight corridors on the Kabul–Delhi and Kabul–Amritsar sectors have now been activated. Cargo flights, the official said, will begin “very soon,” adding that all formalities on India’s side are already complete. The next step lies with Afghan authorities, who are in the final stages of documentation.

For Afghanistan, the urgency is pressing. Farmers and exporters have suffered losses exceeding $100 million after Pakistan closed major trade points, including Torkham and Chaman. Perishable produce, including fruits, dry fruits, herbs, and medicinal crops, rotted in stranded trucks as border workers, truck drivers, and agricultural traders bore the brunt of the shutdown.

With Pakistan’s airspace closed to Indian carriers, even air connectivity between India and Afghanistan had collapsed. Cargo flights could reverse that almost instantly, allowing Afghan produce to reach Indian markets within hours instead of days or weeks via land routes.

India also stands to gain significantly. Renewed air trade strengthens New Delhi’s economic footprint in Afghanistan and provides a direct alternative route into Central Asia, one that strategically bypasses Pakistan. The development aligns with India’s broader effort to expand regional trade links through both air corridors and the Chabahar Port route via Iran.

Both sides are also exploring deeper institutional collaboration. India and Afghanistan plan to appoint dedicated trade attachs and revive the long-dormant joint working group on commerce, investment, and connectivity. Discussions are underway to launch air courier services on the Kabul–Delhi, Kabul–Amritsar, and even Kabul–Kandahar routes.

However, flights to Kandahar are undergoing a rigorous security review due to the IC-814 hijacking incident in 1999, which remains a sensitive chapter in Indian aviation history.

Despite optimism, traders in Amritsar say official notifications are still awaited, and progress since earlier Taliban visits has been slow. Yet the momentum remains strong, and the political signalling is unmistakable.

As India recalibrates its diplomacy and Afghanistan seeks to escape Pakistan’s shadow, the sky itself may become the route that reconnects two old partners, opening a new chapter in regional trade and strategic cooperation.

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