A total of 12,503 flights were conducted from the country’s airports in 1402, the last solar year (April 2023 to March 2024), facilitating the travel of almost 1.9 million people, officials confirmed Monday.

Addressing a press conference, officials from the ministry of transport and aviation said the total number of people through Afghanistan’s airports was 1,897,273. Of these, 774,700 people traveled domestically while 1,122,583 traveled abroad.

In addition, 40,016 flights flew over Afghan airspace, which was an increase against the previous year.

Last week, Reuters reported that a number of international airlines are now routing planes over Afghanistan in light of the war in the Ukraine and the heightened tension in the Middle East.

Officials meanwhile added on Monday that in the past year, 1402, at least 547,038 cargo vehicles transported goods from Afghanistan to Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Iran, and Pakistan, while 434,709 cargo vehicles entered Afghanistan from neighboring and regional countries.

In addition, 421,895 cargo vehicles and 3,722,283 passenger vehicles traveled between provinces during this time.

According to the officials the ministry successfully facilitated the safe transportation of 30,000 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for Hajj and ensured their safe return to Afghanistan.

Other significant achievements by the ministry in the past year include the improvement of Khost Airport into an international airport, along with the provision of services to Ariana Afghan Airlines, Kam Air, and eight other international airlines.

In the aviation sector, the ministry implemented 18 development projects, trained 112 individuals at the Civil Aviation Institute, recruited 150 students, and filled about 500 vacant posts.

To enhance operational efficiency, 66 capacity-building training programs were conducted over the past year, and professional staff were deployed to airports across the country to ensure the delivery of appropriate and standard services.

The ministry also facilitated the free repatriation of tens of thousands of returnees from Spin Boldak, Torkham, and Kabul to their home regions.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing has transferred more than 3,500 jeribs of land in Kabul province to the Ministry of Transport and Aviation for the construction of standard transportation terminals.