India and Afghanistan are edging closer again, this time by rebuilding ties in the air rather than on the ground. After months of shutdowns, blocked borders, and choked trade routes, the two countries are getting ready to restart direct cargo flights, restoring a crucial economic channel that Pakistan had repeatedly disrupted.
The shift came during Afghan Commerce and Industry Minister Al-Haj Nooruddin Azizi’s visit to India, where both sides focused on easing Afghanistan’s reliance on Pakistan. For the past year, Islamabad’s border closures and movement restrictions—triggered by clashes and political friction—have stalled Afghan exports and stranded thousands of traders.
A senior official from India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the air freight corridors linking Kabul with Delhi and Amritsar are now active. Flights are expected to take off soon. India has finished its paperwork, and Afghan authorities are completing theirs.
Afghan exporters badly need this. With Pakistan shutting down key crossings like Torkham and Chaman, farmers and traders have lost more than 100 million dollars. Fresh produce, dry fruits, herbs, and medicinal crops were left to rot in trucks stuck at the border, hitting local livelihoods hard.
Pakistan’s airspace ban on Indian carriers also killed air links between India and Afghanistan, slowing trade to a crawl. Once cargo flights resume, Afghan goods can reach Indian markets within hours instead of being delayed for days or weeks on land routes.
India gains too. Direct air trade strengthens its presence in Afghanistan and creates a clean alternative to routes through Pakistan. It also fits into India’s wider effort to build regional links through air corridors and the Chabahar Port route via Iran.
Both countries are now looking at stronger institutional cooperation. They plan to appoint dedicated trade officers, revive the long-stalled working group on commerce and connectivity, and even explore air courier services on the Kabul–Delhi, Kabul–Amritsar, and Kabul–Kandahar routes.
Flights to Kandahar, though, are undergoing a detailed security review because of the IC-814 hijacking in 1999, a sensitive chapter for India.
Some traders in Amritsar say they’re still waiting for formal notices, and progress since earlier Taliban delegations has been slow. Still, the direction is clear.
As India reshapes its regional approach and Afghanistan tries to break free from Pakistan’s grip, the reopening of the skies could reconnect two longstanding partners and reset the region’s trade and strategic landscape.
