Will cargo flights from India help Afghanistan counter Pakistan’s border trade blockade?

India and Afghanistan are set to resume cargo flights as the two countries upgrade ties and bypass Pakistan to expand trade. Pakistan shut its airspace for Indian airlines in the aftermath of the April 22 Pahalgam attack.

Last month, Pakistan closed its border with Afghanistan for trade and civilian movement following deadly military clashes. Now, Kabul is seeking to increase trade with India and has urged New Delhi to open cargo hubs on Afghan soil.

Let’s take a closer look.

India and Afghanistan to launch cargo planes

Air cargo services between India and Afghanistan will be launched soon, a senior Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official announced on Friday (November 21).

The announcement came during the five-day visit of Afghan Commerce and Industry Minister Al-Haj Nooruddin Azizi to India.

“I am pleased to announce that the air freight corridor on the Kabul-Delhi sector and Kabul-Amritsar routes have been activated and cargo flights on these sectors will commence very soon,” Anand Prakash, Joint Secretary in the MEA, said, as per PTI.

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He said the move will “significantly enhance” connectivity and “strengthen” trade and commercial ties between the two countries.

“All formalities from our side are over. We are waiting for all the papers from their (Afghan) side … Once they complete them, the cargo flights will start,” Prakash told Reuters on the sidelines of the India-Afghanistan business conference last week.

Azizi came to India seeking to boost trade ties, especially agricultural exports. Kabul is looking to expand market access for Afghan produce, and enhance Indian exports of medicines, machinery and textiles.

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India and Afghanistan have also decided to appoint trade attachés to their respective embassies to oversee and facilitate bilateral commerce.

“Bilateral trade stands at around one billion. However, there remains significant scope for further growth. In this context, we have decided to reactivate the joint working group on trade, commerce and investment. The active involvement of Indian and Afghan businesses will be essential to make this particular joint working group process more effective,” Prakash said.

EAM Dr S Jaishankar tweets, "Pleased to meet Industry and Commerce Minister of Afghanistan, Alhaj Nooruddin Azizi in New Delhi this evening. Discussed ways to strengthen our trade, connectivity and people to people ties. Reiterated India’s support for the development and welfare… pic.twitter.com/ehhytHdU5f

— ANI (@ANI) November 20, 2025

As per an Economic Times (ET) report, Afghanistan’s Taliban government is also keen on starting air courier services between New Delhi and Kandahar, and eventually between Kandahar and Amritsar. With this, Kabul is hoping to counter Pakistan’s effort at blocking supplies to Afghanistan by closing border trade.

The report said New Delhi is actively considering the proposal, which would allow Afghan airlines to operate air courier services from Kabul and Kandahar to both New Delhi and Amritsar.

However, the inclusion of Kandahar, the destination of the IC814 hijack, is undergoing a detailed security review, sources told ET.

Is the progress slow?

Two high-profile Afghan ministers have visited India since last month. However, there has reportedly not yet been an official communication to start passenger or trade flights between the two countries.

“Nothing has changed since [Afghanistan foreign minister] Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to India last month. Traders here had hoped for the fulfilment of the formalities and resumption of flights between Kabul and Amritsar, and the beginning of the trade, but nothing has happened so far,” Charanjit Singh Batra, president of the Fruit and Vegetables Merchant Union, told Times of India (TOI).

Bhupinder Singh, director, Sri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport, Amritsar, also told the newspaper that the airport has not received any notification so far in connection with the resumption of the Amritsar-Kabul flight.

During his visit to India in October, Muttaqi had announced the resumption of direct flights between Amritsar and Afghanistan.

Why air cargo will benefit India-Afghanistan

While India does not recognise Afghanistan's Taliban government, it has moved quickly to reset ties in recent months.

Afghan Foreign Minister Muttaqi’s visit to New Delhi last month was the first such trip to India by a Taliban leader since 2021. As the ties of both countries with their common neighbour, Pakistan, take a nosedive, New Delhi and Kabul are moving to expand their relationship.

The two countries are seeking to bolster bilateral trade, both through the sea by leveraging Iran’s Chabahar port that bypasses Pakistan and by air.

During his visit, the Taliban’s commerce minister asked New Delhi to help set up scheduled shipping services to move Afghan goods through the Chabahar Port operated by India.

Afghanistan has rerouted more goods to Iran and Central Asia in recent months after border clashes with Pakistan led to the closure of key crossings.

As Pakistan has closed its airspace for Indian flights, Indian air operators cannot service Afghanistan. Pakistan has also shut border trade with Afghanistan, but it has not stopped overflight services.

Afghanistan relies on border trade with Pakistan for essential items through crossing and transit points such as Torkham and Chaman. During the attacks between the two countries last month, Afghan trucks were stranded with produce that had perished due to the border closure with Pakistan.

Both sides suffered losses exceeding $100 million, with the closure affecting up to 25,000 border workers, India Today reported, citing the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI).

Cargo flight services on the Kabul-Delhi and Kabul-Amritsar sectors will ensure faster transport of perishable Afghan exports such as fresh fruits and medicinal herbs. These commodities are impacted due to delays in ground transit, as per India Today. 

To counter Pakistan, Afghanistan wants to increase bilateral trade with India. New Delhi has increased engagement with the Taliban government. Cordial ties with Afghanistan also offer India an alternative access to Central Asian nations for energy and minerals trade.

Pakistan will eventually open its airspace for Indian carriers, given the business feasibility, RS Sachdeva, member of the managing committee, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI), told TOI. 

He also said that a PHDCCI delegation would visit Afghanistan in February to explore more business opportunities.

With inputs from agencies