Afghanistan opens air cargo corridors with Europe, Russia, China, UAE

The inauguration was marked at a ceremony at Kabul airport that was attended by ministers and foreign diplomats.
The first European flight carried 12 tons of karakul and nine tons of carpet to Italy and Finland.
Officials said that there will be flights on daily basis on Afghanistan-Europe air cargo corridor.
The ceremony also saw opening of an air corridor with the Indian city of Kolkata with an Indian airline transporting three tons of fruits in first flight.
Khanjan Alokozai, deputy head of Chamber of Commerce, said that air cargo corridors have increased domestic production.
An EU official reiterated EU’s commitment to continue to support Afghanistan as he welcomed opening of Afghanistan-EU air corridor.
Netherlands’ charge d’affairs said that expanding Afghanistan’s international trade would help accelerate its economic growth.
In recent years, Afghanistan inaugurated air cargo corridors with India, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan. More than 3,500 tons of domestic products have been transported from Afghanistan through the corridors.
Earlier, officials said that Afghanistan’s exports rose 32 percent in the first eight months of this year compared to the same period last year.