Civil flights for Helmand province

A Good Thing:

Afghan Airline Resumes Flights to Taliban Heartland
Ariana Afghan Airlines resumes flights to Helmand province after decades of halt

Boarding some 40 passengers, an Ariana Boeing-- a first non-military flight after almost 50 years landed in Helmand’s Bost Airport.

Ariana Airlines has begun weekly flights to Helmand and back to the Afghan capital Kabul. Some believes this as an effort to remove the isolation of the volatile southern province, known as the most insecure part of the country [more on Helmand here and here].

The $12.5 million fund for the reconstruction of Helmand’s Bost Airport has been paid by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

[From USAID: "Bost is the only completely civilian airstrip in Southern Afghanistan and is the catalyst for re-establishing commercial air service in Helmand." Kandahar is still without civil flights. Perhaps KAF is simply too full and too sensitive; there is no separate civil field.]

Over the past few years, Bost Airport was being used for military flights only, but the Afghan Aviation Ministry said from now on civilian planes can also land in Bost runway.

Provincial officials term this new improvement in Helmand transportation sector a crucial step to boost the economy and development in the remote Afghan province.

“This is a historical day for Helmand. Pilgrims can fly directly to Mecca in Saudi Arabia from Helmand,” Abdul Satar Mirzakwal, Helmand Deputy Governor told Quqnoos.

According to local officials, Bost is reconstructed based on the regional standards and all local airlines can use the airport for passenger and cargo purposes.

Currently Kabul- Helmand one way ticket costs 7,000 Afs ($140 US) that according to locals is incredibly expensive comparing to other domestic flights.