Flights over Afghanistan have increased by 25 percent amid tensions between the United States and Iran that escalated recently following military actions, Afghan authorities said on Saturday.
In a statement, Afghanistan’s Civil Aviation Authority said that the International Civil Aviation Organization and International Air Transport Association requested Afghanistan and other countries in the region to help facilitate more overflights, following escalation of tensions in the region.
The authority said that airlines had already changed their routes to Afghanistan due to security issues in Iran and the Persian Gulf.
Tensions in the Middle East intensified last week after a US drone strike killed an Iranian general in Iraq, prompting Tehran to fire at US targets on Wednesday.
A Ukrainian passenger plane crashed in Tehran on Wednesday, killing 176. Iran said on Saturday it had mistakenly shot down the plane, after initially denying it brought down the aircraft.
The increase in flights over Afghanistan would mean rise in the country’s revenues. The country used to change $700 on every flight over Afghanistan and in November, it announced plan to increase it to $950.
