Afghanistan’s Taliban tap Swiss, other travellers for flyover fees

Published on April 16, 2026

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Swissinfo
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The Taliban are experiencing a windfall by collecting fees from passengers flying over Afghanistan. The move is bringing in tens of millions of dollars, including from Swiss travellers, without providing any service in return. Adapted routes Many more aircraft are currently flying over Afghanistan than before the Iran war. It is estimated that there are almost 2,000 flights per week. That is around five times more transits than a year ago. The Taliban collect a fee of $700 (CHF548) per aircraft. This is generating revenue of around $1.4 million per week, which adds up to just over $70 million a year – a lot of money for a country that hardly does anything for flight safety. No choice The airlines have practically no alternative but to fly over Afghanistan, even though the country itself has long been considered dangerous. The corridor for flights from Europe to Asia is limited. In the north, flight space is restricted by the war in Ukraine and in the south by fighting in the Middle ... Full story here Are you the author?

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SWI swissinfo.ch – the international service of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Since 1999, swissinfo.ch has fulfilled the federal government’s mandate to distribute information about Switzerland internationally, supplementing the online offerings of the radio and television stations of the SBC. Today, the international service is directed above all at an international audience interested in Switzerland, as well as at Swiss citizens living abroad.

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