Airlines told to avoid Afghanistan airspace

Airlines and governments have paid more attention to the risks of flying over airspace in volatile zones in recent years after two deadly incidents involving surface-to-air missiles. A Malaysia Airlines plane was shot down over eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing all 298 people on board, and a Ukraine International Airlines jet was downed by Iran's military in 2020, killing all 176 passengers and crew.

Afghanistan's aviation authority said on Monday the country's airspace had been "released to the military" and advised airlines to avoid its air corridors, prompting major airlines to divert flights in the wake of the Taliban's takeover of Kabul.

The authority did not specify which military, given the collapse of local security forces in the face of the Taliban offensive.