Indian low-cost airline starts Kabul flights
Indian low-cost airline SpiceJet will start direct flights from New
Delhi to the Afghan capital Kabul from Tuesday as trade and medical
tourism grows between the countries.
SpiceJet will be India's first private airline to operate a direct
service to Kabul with its one-hour flight, three times a week.
The state-run flagship Air India also flies to Afghanistan, six times
a week.
"India and Afghanistan always had strong trade links. The idea is to
revive that growth potential," SpiceJet spokeswoman Priti Dey told AFP.
"The route would benefit Afghan traders and enable medical tourists
from Afghanistan to visit India. Instead of flying to the Gulf, they can
fly to Delhi, which is closer."
India, strongly encouraged by the United States, is keen to expand
its economic influence in Afghanistan, but New Delhi is also acutely
aware of nuclear-armed rival Pakistan's sensitivities about Indian
"encroachment".
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