Afghan airspace has been re-opened for commercial overflights but some routes remain subject to periodic closure due to ongoing military operations in the country.
The overflights have resumed despite the fact that only the capital Kabul's VHF transceiver has been repaired, while those at Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif and Khandahar remain inoperative, says Anthony Laven, International Air Transport Association director of operations and infrastructure Asia Pacific.
The Kabul transceiver provides VHF coverage over a range of 320km (175nm), but poorer-quality HF communications are available as a back-up, says Laven.
The principal civil air routes across the country are V838and V888 from east to west, and the north-south A466D and G668. Airlines had been forced to re-route about 100 flights per day.
Source: Flight International
