Iran’s neighboring country of Afghanistan is enjoying the financial benefits emerged after major airlines diverted their flights from the country’s airspace as Tehran shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet last month, Bloomberg reported on Friday.
“The switch has seen revenue from overflying jump by about $100,000 a day, or more than one-quarter, according to Afghanistan’s civil aviation authority, with as many as 400 flights crossing the country in 24 hours. Affected routes typically link Southeast Asia and India with Europe,” said the report.
The Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737 crashed shortly after taking off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport on January 8. Three days later and under international pressure, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani finally admitted an investigation found that “missiles fired due to human error” by the country’s Revolutionary Guards.
The tragedy caused major international carriers to rethink about Iran’s airspace, finding it “very risky.”
However, according to the Bloomberg report citing Afghan officials, using the country’s airspace is not without its risks.
An official told the agency that Afghanistan is not safe on the ground and terror attacks had happened near airport in the past.
“Afghanistan’s airspace might be safe but its ground could be dangerous,” Ahmad Shokur, a member of the Afghanistan Institute for Civil Society, was quoted by Bloomberg.
