Transport in Afghanistan is done mostly by road, rail and air. Much of the nation's road network was built in the mid-20th century but left to ruin during the last two decades of that century due to war and political turmoil. Officials of the current Islamic Emirate have continued to improve the national highways, roads, and bridges. In 2008, there were about 700,000 vehicles registered in Kabul. At least 1,314 traffic collisions were reported in 2022.
Ariana Afghan Airlines Co. Ltd. also known simply as Ariana, is the flag carrier and largest airline of Afghanistan. Founded in 1955, Ariana is state owned and the oldest airline in the country. The company has its main base at Kabul International Airport, from which it operates domestic flights and international connections to destinations in China, India, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. The carrier is headquartered in Shāre Naw district, Kabul. Ariana Afghan Airlines has been on the list of air carriers banned in the European Union since October 2006.
Kabul International Airport is located in the northern part of Kabul, Afghanistan. It is one of the country's main international airports, capable of housing over a hundred military and civilian aircraft. It is currently operated by UAE-based GAAC Holding and Afghanistan's Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation.
The Kabul–Kandahar Highway (NH0101) is 483-kilometer (300 mi) long that links Afghanistan's two largest cities, Kabul and Kandahar. It starts from Dashte Barchi in Kabul and passes through Maidan Shar, Saydabad, Ghazni, and Qalat until it reaches Aino Mina in Kandahar. It is currently being rehabilitated at different locations. This highway is a key portion of Afghanistan's national highway system or "National Highway 1". The entire highway between Kabul and Kandahar has no mountain passes but there are many mountains nearby in some places. Approximately 35 percent of Afghanistan's population lives within 50 km (31 mi) of the Kabul to Kandahar portion of the Afghanistan Ring Road.
The Antonov An-26 is a twin-engined turboprop civilian and military transport aircraft, designed and produced in the Soviet Union from 1969 to 1986.
Kam Air is the largest private Afghan airline. Founded in 2003, Kam Air has 5 aircraft and a workforce of over 600 people, operating scheduled domestic passenger services throughout Afghanistan and international services to destinations in Central Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East. Its hub is at Kabul International Airport in the capital Kabul.
UTC+04:30 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +04:30. This time is used only in Afghanistan, so it is also called Afghanistan Standard Time.
Khost International Airport, formerly known as Khost Airport, is located in the eastern section of Khost, which is the capital of Khost Province in Afghanistan. The airport is under the country's Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, and is used for domestic and international flights. The Ministry of Defense also uses it for emergency relief purposes such as when the June 2022 Afghanistan earthquake occurred.
Bamyan Airport, officially named Shahid Mazari Airport, is located in the city of Bamyan, which is the capital of Bamyan Province in Afghanistan. It is a domestic airport under the country's Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation (MoTCA), and serves the population of Bamyan Province. Security in and around the airport is provided by the Afghan National Security Forces.
Chaghcharan Airport is located in the eastern section of Chaghcharan, which is the capital of Ghor Province in Afghanistan. It is a domestic airport under the country's Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation (MoTCA), and serves the population of Ghor and nearby provinces. Security in and around the airport is provided by the Afghan National Security Forces.
National Highway 01 or NH01, formally called the Ring Road, is a 2,200-kilometre (1,400 mi) two-lane road network circulating inside Afghanistan, connecting the following major cities (clockwise): Kabul, Maidan Shar, Ghazni, Kandahar, Delaram, Herat, Maymana, Sheberghan, Mazar-i-Sharif, Puli Khumri and back to Kabul. It has extensions that connect Jalalabad, Bamyan, Khost, Lashkargah, Zaranj, Farah, Islam Qala, Torghundi, and Kunduz. It is part of AH1, the longest route of the Asian Highway Network. National Highway 01 consists of four major sections, NH0101 to NH0104, linking the major economic centers.
Tourism in Afghanistan is regulated by the Ministry of Information and Culture. There are at least 350 tourism companies operating in Afghanistan. Tourism was at its peak before the 1978 Saur Revolution, which was followed by the decades of warfare. Between 2013 and 2016, Afghan embassies issued between 15,000 and 20,000 tourist visas annually. Following Taliban's return to power in August 2021, visitor numbers gradually increased from 691 in 2021 to 2,300 in 2022, reaching 7,000 in 2023.
Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 202 (YA-BAG) was a scheduled international civilian passenger flight from Lebanon to Afghanistan on 21 November 1959. It took off from Beirut and was destined for Kabul, with a stopover at Mehrabad in Iran and another stopover at Kandahar in Afghanistan. Two minutes after takeoff, the aircraft, a Douglas DC-4, crashed into the side of a hill in Aramoun. The impact caused a fire to break out in the cabin, killing 24 of the flight's 27 total occupants on the scene. The three initial survivors were taken to a hospital in Beirut shortly after the crash, and two of them later succumbed to their injuries.
On 19 March 1998, a Boeing 727 passenger jet operated by Ariana Afghan Airlines crashed on approach into Kabul, Afghanistan, killing all 45 people aboard. The flight may have been involved in smuggling and Islamic militant operations, as Ariana was at that time controlled by the Taliban-led Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan regime.
Pamir Airways Flight 112 was a scheduled passenger flight from Kunduz Airport, Kunduz to Kabul International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. On 17 May 2010, the flight operated by an Antonov An-24 crashed into terrain shortly before it was scheduled to land in Kabul, killing all 39 passengers and 5 crew.
1985 Bakhtar Afghan Airlines Antonov An-26 shootdown was on 4 September 1985 when a Bakhtar Afghan Airlines Antonov An-26 on a scheduled internal flight from Kandahar to Farah was shot down by a ground-to-air missile. The aircraft had departed from Kandahar Airport and had circled twice close to the airport to gain height and then set course for Farah Airport, it was at a height of 3800 meters and 18.5 km west of Kandahar when it was shot down and destroyed by a surface-to-air missile (SAM). All five crew and 47 passengers were killed.
The 1987 Bakhtar Afghan Airlines Antonov An-26 shootdown was a military incident that occurred on June 11, 1987, during the Soviet–Afghan War. A Bakhtar Afghan Airlines Antonov An-26 was shot down by a missile near Khost, Afghanistan, resulting in 53 fatalities out of the 55 people on board. Afghan mujahideen insurgents fired the missile that struck the Bakhtar Afghan Airlines Antonov An-26. These insurgents were using surface-to-air missiles supplied by international supporters, including the United States as part of their efforts to combat Soviet and Afghan government forces during the Soviet–Afghan War.
