India and Afghanistan are preparing to restart direct air cargo flights after months of Pakistan-imposed border closures and airspace restrictions that disrupted trade and severed commercial supply chains. The revival of air freight links marks a significant step in reconnecting both economies and reducing Afghanistan’s dependence on Pakistan for transit and market access. The breakthrough was achieved during Afghan Commerce and Industry Minister Al-Haj Nooruddin Azizi’s five-day visit to India, which focused on stabilising trade ties that had been hit hard by repeated border shutdowns and curbs imposed by Islamabad following military clashes.
A senior official from India’s Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that the Kabul–Delhi and Kabul–Amritsar air freight corridors have now been cleared and activated from the Indian side, with cargo flights expected to resume very soon. Afghan authorities are currently completing the remaining documentation. For Afghanistan, the move is urgently needed: exporters have incurred losses of more than $100 million as Pakistan closed major trade crossings such as Torkham and Chaman, leaving perishable goods to spoil in parked trucks and forcing thousands of traders, truck drivers, and farmers into financial distress.
The resumption of air cargo operations will allow Afghan agricultural and herbal produce to reach Indian markets within hours, in contrast to land-based routes that became unpredictable and slow due to Pakistan’s restrictions. For India, the renewed air link strengthens economic presence in Afghanistan and offers a direct gateway into Central Asia without reliance on Pakistan. It also aligns with New Delhi’s broader regional strategy to expand trade through both air corridors and the Chabahar Port route via Iran.
In addition to restarting flights, both nations are exploring long-term institutional cooperation. Plans include appointing specialised trade attachés, reviving the joint working group on commerce, investment, and connectivity, and evaluating new air courier routes such as Kabul–Delhi, Kabul–Amritsar, and possibly Kabul–Kandahar. Flights to Kandahar, however, are currently undergoing a stringent security review because of the 1999 IC-814 hijacking incident.
Traders in Amritsar say that official notifications are still awaited and progress since earlier rounds of Taliban delegations has been slow, but the forward movement this time appears stronger and politically deliberate. With Afghanistan trying to emerge from Pakistan’s geopolitical shadow and India reshaping its regional engagement strategy, direct air trade could become the channel that reconnects the two countries and reshapes their economic and strategic partnership.
