India and Afghan start air freight corridor to bypass Pakistan block

India and Afghanistan on Monday established their first air freight corridor to circumvent challenges faced because of lack of land transit through Pakistan. A cargo flight landed from Kabul to New Delhi on Monday, which was received by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Minister of State (External Affairs) M J Akbar, among others.

The flight, which carried 60 tonnes of cargo, was flagged off in Kabul by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in the presence of several of his ministerial colleagues and Indian Ambassador Manpreet Vohra.

 A similar cargo flight from Delhi to Kabul had earlier carried 100 tonnes of cargo (mainly pharmaceuticals, water purifiers, medical equipments) on June 18.

"The arrival of the cargo flight from Kabul to Delhi marked the inauguration of the dedicated Air Freight Corridor," said an External Affairs Ministry release.

The connectivity established through the Air Freight Corridor will provide Afghanistan greater access to markets in India, and will allow Afghan businessmen to leverage India's economic growth and trade networks for its benefit, it said. It would enable Afghan farmers quick and direct access to the Indian markets for their perishable produce.