IEA signs agreement with UAE to manage Afghanistan’s airports

A contract for the regulation and management of the country’s four airports was signed with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday, the Afghan Civil Aviation Authority (ACAA) said.

The agreement was signed between Hamidullah Akhundzada, acting head of the Ministry of Transport and Aviation, and Razzaq Aslam, CEO of GAAC, a UAE based consortium with specialist expertise in airport management.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Mullah Khairullah Khairkhowa, Acting Minister of Information and Culture, and other government officials attended the signing event.

The agreement comes as Turkey and Qatar have been negotiating with Islamic Emirate officials for months to manage Afghanistan’s international airfields, however, the negotiations stalled when the IEA opposed requests for foreign forces to secure the airports.

The airports involved are Kabul, Herat and Kandahar.

The company will be responsible for unloading and loading of planes after landing and before takeoff.

At the signing ceremony, the First Deputy Prime Minister called on international investors to invest in Afghanistan, and said the Islamic Emirate is committed to providing them with the necessary investment opportunities.

At the signing ceremony of the contract, the First Deputy PM Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar said that the IEA is working hard to strengthen the country’s economy.
“With this contract, all international airlines will start their flights to Afghanistan in a safe and reliable environment, and it will help us to increase trading and business with other countries,” Baradar said.

Ministry of Transport officials say the company will provide ground-based services in line with international standards, leading to an increase in international flights.

However, the Deputy Prime Minister says that flights into and out of Kabul will soon increase and Afghanistan’s revenue will increase through air corridors.