United Airlines has reportedly started rerouting its India flights to steer clear of the Afghan airspace after the Taliban took control of the capital city Kabul, taking over the entire country.

The airline will work closely with International Air Transport Association and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to assess the situation and establish new strategies for serving the impacted marketplace.

The airline was quoted saying that affected flights are being routed to avoid the Afghan airspace due to the dynamic nature of the situation.

United Airlines has daily flights to New Delhi from its Newark Liberty Airport and flies from its Chicago O’Hare Airport hub five times a week. These flights are among some of its longest routes.

Notably, it is the only prominent U.S. passenger carrier currently operating nonstop flights to India. A United spokeswoman revealed that the move to reroute around Afghanistan was the company’s own decision.

Last month, the FAA had prohibited U.S. airlines from flying over Afghanistan air space at an altitude below 26,000 feet, due to the dangers posed by militant/ extremist activity and low-risk mitigation abilities.

Emirates Airline and Flydubai also suspended their flights to Kabul. Emirates said that customers with tickets having Kabul as the final destination will not be allowed to board at the point of origin and advised them to contact their travel agents or carriers.

Earlier on Sunday, Emirates Flight EK640 flew back to Dubai after nearing Kabul as the U.S. Embassy in the Afghan capital warned of reports of gunfire at the airport.

The U.S. State Department said that it was endeavoring to secure the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul to evacuate local employees, U.S. personnel, and their families as well as ‘other vulnerable Afghan nationals’ from the country by employing military and civilian flights.

Source Credits –

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/16/united-airlines-avoid-afghanistan-airspace-emirates-suspends-flights.html