, nativename-r =
, image = Flightline at Kabul International Airport.jpeg
, caption = The flightline at Kabul International Airport in January 2012
, IATA = KBL
, ICAO = OAKB
, type = Public
, owner =
Government of Afghanistan
, built =
, operator = GAAC Holding
, city-served =
Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
and nearby provinces
, location =
Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
, Afghanistan
, hub =
*
Ariana Afghan Airlines
*
Kam Air
Kam Air is the largest private Afghan airline. Founded in 2003, Kam Air has twelve aircraft and a workforce of over 1,200 people, operating scheduled domestic passenger services throughout Afghanistan and international services to destinations i ...
, metric-elev = yes
, elevation-f = 5877
, coordinates =
, pushpin_map = Afghanistan #South Asia#West Asia#Asia
, pushpin_relief =
, pushpin_mapsize = 270
, pushpin_map_caption = Location of airport in Afghanistan
, pushpin_label = KBL/OAKB
, pushpin_label_position =
, image_map = Kabul-Airport-Diagram.png
, image_mapsize = 270
, image_map_caption =
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
airport diagram, 2015
, metric-rwy = yes
, r1-number = 11/29
, r1-length-m = 3511
, r1-surface = Paved
, footnotes = Source: Landings.com,
[Airport record for Kabul Khwaja Rawash International Airport](_blank)
at Landings.com. Retrieved 2013-08-01 AIP Afghanistan
, website =
Kabul International Airport (known as Hamid Karzai International Airport from 2014 to 2021;
), also known as Kabul Airport, is located about from the center of
Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
. It is owned by the
Government of Afghanistan and operated by
UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
-based GAAC Holding on behalf of the
Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation.
It serves as one of the nation's main
international airports, capable of housing over one hundred aircraft. It was locally named as Khwaja Rawash Airport. The airport was renamed in 2014 in honor of former
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai (; Pashto/ fa, حامد کرزی, , ; born 24 December 1957) is an Afghan statesman who served as the fourth president of Afghanistan from July 2002 to September 2014, including as the first elected president of the Islamic Repub ...
. The decision was made by the
National Assembly of Afghanistan
The National Assembly ( ps, , Mili Shura, prs, , Shura-e Milli), also known as the Parliament of Afghanistan or simply as the Afghan Parliament, was the legislature of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. It was effectively dissolved when the T ...
and the Cabinet of the then President
Ashraf Ghani.
It was given its current name in 2021 by the
Taliban
The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...
.
Opened in 1960, the airport has been the primary gateway to Afghanistan and is located at high altitude, surrounded by the mountains of the
Hindu Kush. For many years it has been the base of
Ariana Afghan Airlines and
Kam Air
Kam Air is the largest private Afghan airline. Founded in 2003, Kam Air has twelve aircraft and a workforce of over 1,200 people, operating scheduled domestic passenger services throughout Afghanistan and international services to destinations i ...
. A new international
terminal
Terminal may refer to:
Computing Hardware
* Terminal (electronics), a device for joining electrical circuits together
* Terminal (telecommunication), a device communicating over a line
* Computer terminal, a set of primary input and output devic ...
was opened in the 2000s and at the time a number of military bases were also built around the airport, which were used by the
United States Armed Forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...
and
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
's
International Security Assistance Force
' ps, کمک او همکاري '
, allies = Afghanistan
, opponents = Taliban Al-Qaeda
, commander1 =
, commander1_label = Commander
, commander2 =
, commander2_label =
, commander3 =
, comman ...
(ISAF), and later the
Resolute Support Mission
Resolute Support Mission (RSM) or Operation Resolute Support was a NATO-led multinational mission in Afghanistan. It began on 1 January 2015 as the successor to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which was completed on 28 Decem ...
(RS). The
Afghan Air Force
The Air Force of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, also referred to as the Islamic Emirate Air Force and the Afghan Air Force, is the air force branch of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
The Royal Afghan Air Force was e ...
also had a base there,
while the
Afghan National Police provided security inside the passenger terminals. Prior to the withdrawal of NATO's military forces in mid-2021, the airport provided scheduled flights to and from Pakistan, India, Iran, China, Turkey, Russia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and the Arab Gulf states. As of June 2016, the most frequently serviced destination from the airport was
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
in the
UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
, with no fewer than four passenger airlines flying the route, and some with multiple daily flights.
After the evacuation of NATO's forces on August 31, 2021, all civilian flights were canceled and suspended until further notice. A week before that the airport's Abbey Gate had been
attacked in a suicide bombing by
Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISIS-K). Following the Taliban takeover,
the airport was closed to the public for about a week.
On September 26, the Taliban announced that the resulting debris at the airport had been cleaned up, and asked international airlines to resume flights.
History
Kabul Airport was originally built in 1960 by
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
engineers.
The airport was locally named Khwaja Rawash Airport. Foreign tourists began visiting Afghanistan via Kabul Airport. This era ended after the 1978
Saur Revolution
The Saur Revolution or Sowr Revolution ( ps, د ثور انقلاب; prs, إنقلاب ثور), also known as the April Revolution or the April Coup, was staged on 27–28 April 1978 (, ) by the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) ...
, especially after the 1979
Soviet invasion.
![Welcome to Kabul Airport (5451148002)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Welcome_to_Kabul_Airport_%285451148002%29.jpg)
The airport was used by the
Soviet Army
uk, Радянська армія
, image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg
, alt =
, caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army
, start_date ...
during the
Soviet–Afghan War
The Soviet–Afghan War was a protracted armed conflict fought in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. It saw extensive fighting between the Soviet Union and the Afghan mujahideen (alongside smaller groups of anti-Soviet ...
from 1979 to 1989, and by the military forces of the former
President of Afghanistan,
Mohammad Najibullah. Control of the airport switched between different sides during the civil war after 1992. By November 1996, the
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
governed by
Mullah Muhammad Omar
Mullah Muhammad Omar (; –April 2013) was an Afghan Islamic revolutionary who founded the Taliban and served as the supreme leader of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.
Born into a religious family of Kandahar, Omar was educated at local '' madr ...
was in possession of the airport, until late 2001 when they fled the city after the
U.S. invasion of Afghanistan
In late 2001, the United States and its close allies invaded Afghanistan and toppled the Taliban government. The invasion's aims were to dismantle al-Qaeda, which had executed the September 11 attacks, and to deny it a safe base of operation ...
. Due to
international sanctions
International sanctions are political and economic decisions that are part of diplomatic efforts by countries, multilateral or regional organizations against states or organizations either to protect national security interests, or to protect in ...
during the Taliban government, the airport was closed in the late 1990s, with very limited international flights.
![Stamp of Afghanistan - 1968 - Colnect 675363 - Kabul International Airport](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Stamp_of_Afghanistan_-_1968_-_Colnect_675363_-_Kabul_International_Airport.jpeg)
Following the
U.S. invasion of Afghanistan
In late 2001, the United States and its close allies invaded Afghanistan and toppled the Taliban government. The invasion's aims were to dismantle al-Qaeda, which had executed the September 11 attacks, and to deny it a safe base of operation ...
after the
September 11, 2001 attacks, Kabul Airport was bombed by United States and coalition forces. After the
International Security Assistance Force
' ps, کمک او همکاري '
, allies = Afghanistan
, opponents = Taliban Al-Qaeda
, commander1 =
, commander1_label = Commander
, commander2 =
, commander2_label =
, commander3 =
, comman ...
(ISAF) took over control, the airport began to be developed slowly over the years. A new
radar system
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weat ...
was installed in 2005, which was upgraded by the U.S.
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...
in 2010.
A new $35 million terminal for international flights was inaugurated in November 2008, built with aid from the
Japan International Cooperation Agency. The then-Afghan President
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai (; Pashto/ fa, حامد کرزی, , ; born 24 December 1957) is an Afghan statesman who served as the fourth president of Afghanistan from July 2002 to September 2014, including as the first elected president of the Islamic Repub ...
attended the inauguration ceremony. The new terminal was officially opened to international flights in June 2009. The existing terminal has been refurbished and used for domestic flights.
![Kabul International Airport in 2008](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Kabul_International_Airport_in_2008.jpg)
Passenger movements reached 100,000 per year by 2010 or 300 per day. In early 2012, the radar system was upgraded to cover Afghanistan's entire air space.
In October 2014, the
National Assembly of Afghanistan
The National Assembly ( ps, , Mili Shura, prs, , Shura-e Milli), also known as the Parliament of Afghanistan or simply as the Afghan Parliament, was the legislature of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. It was effectively dissolved when the T ...
proposed naming the airport after former Afghan President
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai (; Pashto/ fa, حامد کرزی, , ; born 24 December 1957) is an Afghan statesman who served as the fourth president of Afghanistan from July 2002 to September 2014, including as the first elected president of the Islamic Repub ...
, a month after his tenure ended, in recognition of his services and contributions to the country's rebuilding. This decision was approved by the Cabinet of the new President
Ashraf Ghani, which renamed the structure as ''Hamid Karzai International Airport''.
The North Side Cantonment – Kabul Airport facility was completed and turned over to the
United States Armed Forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...
in October 2008. It houses the command facilities for the
Afghan Air Force
The Air Force of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, also referred to as the Islamic Emirate Air Force and the Afghan Air Force, is the air force branch of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
The Royal Afghan Air Force was e ...
(AAF), and includes housing, administrative, operations, maintenance and recreation facilities. The project included two new
hangar
A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...
complexes, a new taxiway and ramps. It is the headquarters and main base (1st or 201st Wing) of the Afghan Air Force. The first hangar facility was turned over to the AAF in January 2008. The second hangar was completed later that year.
2021 NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan
In July 2021, the Taliban took over many areas in Afghanistan, including those near Kabul Airport.
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
announced that it would provide security at the airport. U.S. and NATO forces were still deployed at the airport as well.
A few weeks later, Kabul
fell into the hands of the Taliban, prompting hundreds of people to flee to the airport in an attempt to leave the country. Seven people were alleged to have died at the airport after the crowds consisting of hundreds of people tried to forcibly enter planes leaving the airport. US forces fired in the air to prevent the crowds running onto the tarmac and runways. On 16 August 2021, the US Deputy Security Advisor announced the deployment of more forces to secure the airport.
The Pentagon confirmed the head of
U.S. Central Command
The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilities of the Rapid Deployment Joint Tas ...
, General
Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr.
Kenneth Franklin McKenzie Jr. (born 1956 or 1957) is a retired United States Marine Corps general who served as the 14th commander of the United States Central Command from March 28, 2019 to April 1, 2022. He served as Director of the Joint Staff ...
, met
Taliban leaders
The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pash ...
in
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
. The Taliban officials agreed to terms set by McKenzie for refugees to flee using the Kabul International Airport.
![Afghanistan Evacuation 210821-A-AB999-0019](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Afghanistan_Evacuation_210821-A-AB999-0019.jpg)
Following the fall of Kabul, the
Afghan National Army
Afghan may refer to:
*Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia
* Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity
**Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pas ...
and the
Afghan National Police abandoned their posts. U.S. and allied forces subsequently took over the posts. On 16 August 2021, all commercial flights from Kabul Airport were cancelled indefinitely.
On 26 August 2021, more than 100 people were
killed in an explosion outside Kabul Airport. The
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant - Khorasan (ISIS-K) claimed responsibility.
The last American forces departed from the airport around midnight on 30 August, ending U.S. involvement in the 20-year war. The Taliban subsequently took control of the airport.
Rough estimates by the Taliban calculated the damage to the airport at around $350 million.
Abdul Hadi Hamadan, the Taliban head of the airport, later stated that the damage to the airport's terminal alone due to the evacuation was $1 million.
Following the Taliban takeover, the airport was closed. Much of its infrastructure had been degraded or destroyed during the evacuation. According to Qatari
Minister of Foreign Affairs
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...
Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani
Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani ( ar, محمد بن عبدالرحمن بن جاسم آل ثاني; born 1 November 1980) is a Qatari diplomat, economist, and politician, currently serving as the Deputy Prime Minister, since 15 Nove ...
,
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
was to send technical assistance to Afghanistan to help reopen the airport as soon as possible.
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, the
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, stated that the Taliban and other countries had requested Turkey for help in resuming operations at the airport. The
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands,
Sigrid Kaag, stated that her government was willing to support Turkey and Qatar in reopening the airport. Meanwhile, the security of the airport was handed over to the Al-Fatah Brigade of the special forces of the group on 3 September.
The airport reopened for
Ariana Afghan Airlines' domestic flights between Kabul and the cities of
Herat
Herāt (; Persian: ) is an oasis city and the third-largest city of Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Selseleh-ye Safēd ...
,
Mazar-i-Sharif
, official_name =
, settlement_type = City
, image_skyline =
, pushpin_map = Afghanistan#Bactria#West Asia
, pushpin_label = Mazar-i-Sharif
, pushpin ...
and
Kandahar
Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a List of cities in Afghanistan, city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population ...
, as well as for receiving aid from other countries, on 4 September, following work carried out by a technical team from Qatar, which repaired the airport's runway.
Taliban spokesman
Zabiullah Mujahid
Zabihullah Mujahid ( ps, ; ''Ẕabīḥullāh Mujāhid'' ; also spelled Dhabih Allah Mujahid) is an Afghan official Central spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan since 25 October 2021 and Deputy Ministry of Information and Culture si ...
stated on 6 September that Turkey and Qatar were trying to restart all flights from the airport. On 8 September 2021, a
NOTAM was issued by the airport's NOTAM office, indicating that the airport is operating between 03:30 and 13:30
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time or UTC is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is within about one second of mean solar time (such as UT1) at 0° longitude (at the IERS Reference Meridian as the currently used ...
. Additional NOTAMs issued that day indicate that the airports
instrument landing system is operative and that the airport's tower is operating again.
A
Qatar Airways flight evacuating 113 nationals of other countries from Afghanistan was allowed to land at and depart from the airport on 9 September due to cooperation between the United States and the Taliban, marking the first such flight since the Taliban had completely taken over the facility.
Meanwhile, the Taliban renamed the airport to ''Kabul International Airport'', eliminating the reference to former Afghan President
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai (; Pashto/ fa, حامد کرزی, , ; born 24 December 1957) is an Afghan statesman who served as the fourth president of Afghanistan from July 2002 to September 2014, including as the first elected president of the Islamic Repub ...
.
A
Pakistan International Airlines
Pakistan International Airlines ( ur, ; abbreviated PIA, ur, ) is an international airline that serves as the national flag carrier of Pakistan under the administrative control of the Secretary to the Government of Pakistan for Aviation. It ...
flight landed at the airport on 13 September, marking the first international commercial flight to land since the Taliban takeover.
Mahan Air
Mahan Airlines, operating under the name Mahan Air ( fa, هواپیمایی ماهان, Havâpeymâyi-ye Mâhân), is a privately owned Iranian airline based in Tehran, Iran. It operates scheduled domestic services and international flights to ...
resumed flights to the airport on 15 September, marking resumption of commercial flights between
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
and Afghanistan. The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
on 26 September announced that the problems at the airport had been resolved and asked international airlines to resume their flights, promising full cooperation.
Facilities
![Kam Air at Kabul Airport in 2010](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Kam_Air_at_Kabul_Airport_in_2010.jpg)
The airport has two terminals: the original that opened in 1960 and a newer building that opened in 2008. The terminal that opened in 2008 is used for international flights; the original 1960 Soviet-constructed terminal is used for domestic flights. Several hangars along the runway are for military aircraft. There are no hangars for civilian (or transient) aircraft. The airport has seven helicopter pads which are used mostly for military traffic. Fire fighting equipment is present. The firefighting equipment has a present capacity of up to of water and has the ability to reach in height to manage fire outbreaks.
Airlines and destinations
Transportation
Buses, taxi and private cars provide transportation to and from the airport. A four-lane highway connects the airport to Kabul.
Accidents and incidents
Civilian
* On 2 January 1962,
Iran Air
The National Airline of Iran ( fa, هواپیمايی ملی ایران, Havâpeymâyi-ye Melli-ye Irân), branded as Iran Air, is the flag carrier of Iran, which is headquartered at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran. As of 2018, it operates scheduled ...
Flight 123, a
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner
manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II.
It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...
on a cargo flight, crashed while attempting to take-off from Kabul. During the take-off roll the captain noticed a malfunction in the number 1 engine followed by the aircraft veering to the left of the runway. To avoid a crash, the captain pulled the aircraft up into the air, but while attempting to turn the aircraft away from the airport, a wing struck the ground followed by a crash. Both crew members survived.
* On 15 January 1969, Douglas DC-3 YA-AAB of
Ariana Afghan Airlines was damaged beyond economic repair in a ground collision with
Douglas DC-6 YA-DAN, also of Ariana.
* On 21 September 1984, a
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30
The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is an American trijet wide-body aircraft manufactured by McDonnell Douglas.
The DC-10 was intended to succeed the DC-8 for long- range flights. It first flew on August 29, 1970; it was introduced on August 5, 1971 ...
of
Ariana Afghan Airlines was hit by explosive bullets while on approach to Kabul Airport. All passengers and crew survived the incident.
* On 12 June 1990, an
Ilyushin Il-76
The Ilyushin Il-76 (russian: Илью́шин Ил-76; NATO reporting name: Candid) is a multi-purpose, fixed-wing, four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Union's Ilyushin design bureau. It was first planned as a comm ...
of
Aeroflot
PJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines (russian: ПАО "Аэрофло́т — Росси́йские авиали́нии", ), commonly known as Aeroflot ( or ; russian: Аэрофлот, , ), is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Russia. The ...
was struck by a missile while flying at causing two engines to shut down. The aircraft made a forced landing in Kabul with no flaps on an unpaved runway. All 10 crew survived.
* On 29 May 1992, an Ariana Afghan Airlines
Tupolev Tu-154 was struck by a missile while landing at Kabul. The nose of the aircraft was damaged but it landed safely. All passengers and crew survived.
* On 19 March 1998, a
Boeing 727-200 of Ariana Afghan Airlines
crashed into the Sharki Baratayi mountain while descending into Kabul. All 10 crew and 35 passengers on board died.
* On 3 February 2005,
Kam Air Flight 904, a
Boeing 737-200 operated by
Phoenix Aviation
AVE.com was a Kyrgyz-UAE airline based in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates with its base at Sharjah International Airport, offered charter flights and aircraft lease services. AVE.com was established in 2005 by the renaming of Phoenix Aviation
AVE ...
, vanished from radar screens on approach to Kabul in poor weather, sparking a massive Afghan National Army search operation for the 96 passengers and 8 crew. The wreckage of the aircraft was found two days later in the mountains east of Kabul, all 104 people on board had been killed.
*On 17 May 2010, all contact with
Pamir Airways Flight 112
Pamir Airways Flight 112 was a scheduled passenger flight from Kunduz Airport, Kunduz to Kabul International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. On 17 May 2010, the flight was operated by an Antonov An-24 carrying 39 passengers and 5 crew when it cra ...
, an
Antonov An-24 operated by
Pamir Airways
Pamir Airways was a privately owned airline headquartered in Kabul, Afghanistan, operating scheduled passenger flights out of Kabul International Airport. The company name is derived from the Pamir Mountains and translates "roof of the world".
H ...
, was lost ten minutes after departure from
Kunduz Airport
Kunduz Airport is located about southeast of Kunduz (also spelled Konduz), the capital of Kunduz Province in Afghanistan. It is a domestic airport under the country's Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation (MoTCA), and serves the population ...
. After search efforts lasting four days, wreckage from the flight was located twelve miles from Kabul. None of the 39 passengers and five crew on board the flight survived the crash.
*On 8 May 2014, Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 312, a
Boeing 737-400
The Boeing 737 Classic is a series of narrow-body airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the second generation of the Boeing 737 series of aircraft.
Development began in 1979 and the first variant, the 737-300, first flew in Februa ...
, ran off the runway after landing at the airport. Flight 312 originated in Delhi, India and operated on a scheduled passenger service to Kabul. On landing the aircraft overshot runway 29, coming to rest on uneven terrain. The aircraft was heavily damaged and six passengers were slightly injured.
Military
* On 11 March 1985, an
Antonov An-30 of the
Soviet Air Force
The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...
was on an aerial photography flight in the Kabul area south of the Panjshir Valley. Upon returning to the airport, the aircraft was struck by a Strela missile. The captain tried to make an emergency landing at
Bagram Airbase
Bagram Airfield-BAF, also known as Bagram Air Base , is located southeast of Charikar in the Parwan Province of Afghanistan. It is under the Afghan Ministry of Defense. Sitting on the site of the ancient Bagram at an elevation of above sea leve ...
but was too high. A fire ignited by the missile strike then reached the
aileron
An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement around ...
controls causing the pilots to lose control; three of the five crew members evacuated the aircraft safely, but the other two crew members died.
* On 29 November 1986, a Soviet Air Force
Antonov An-26 was hit by a
Stinger missile
The FIM-92 Stinger is an American man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS) that operates as an infrared homing surface-to-air missile (SAM). It can be adapted to fire from a wide variety of ground vehicles, and from helicopters as the Air-to-Ai ...
while climbing out of Kabul. The aircraft was carrying several tons of
S-24 rocket
The S-24 is a rocket weapon designed and used by the Soviet Air Force. It remains in use by the Russian Air Force and Ukrainian Air Force. The name is based on the diameter of the rocket, .
The Soviet Union was an early, enthusiastic user of rock ...
s and 400 kg of explosives to
Jalalabad in Afghanistan. All seven crew members perished.
* On 21 October 1987, a Soviet Air Force
Antonov An-12
The Antonov An-12 (Russian: Антонов Ан-12; NATO reporting name: Cub) is a four-engined turboprop transport aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. It is the military version of the Antonov An-10 and has many variants. For more than thr ...
BK collided with a
Mil Mi-24 helicopter while taking off in poor visibility. The aircraft was heading for the capital city of then
Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic,
Tashkent
Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of ...
; 18 of the 19 passengers and crew died.
* On 21 December 1987, a Soviet Air Force Antonov An-26 was hit by a Stinger missile while circling to a safe altitude shortly after take-off. The number one engine was hit, puncturing the fuel tank. Smoke entered the cabin. All six crew members parachuted out; the captain jumped too close to the ground to open his parachute and died upon impact.
* On 24 June 1988, a Soviet Air Force Antonov An-26 was hit by bullets fired from
Mujahideen
''Mujahideen'', or ''Mujahidin'' ( ar, مُجَاهِدِين, mujāhidīn), is the plural form of ''mujahid'' ( ar, مجاهد, mujāhid, strugglers or strivers or justice, right conduct, Godly rule, etc. doers of jihād), an Arabic term th ...
rebels. The aircraft crashed in Kabul, killing one of the six crew members on board.
* On 28 August 1992, a Soviet Air Force Ilyushin Il-76MD was hit by a renegade Mujahideen rocket while boarding Russian embassy staff.
* On 5 August 2008, a
Lockheed C-130H Hercules of the
United Arab Emirates Air Force overran the runway upon landing in Kabul, causing a fire in the forward section of the aircraft. The aircraft was carrying aid to Afghanistan. All crew members survived.
* On 16 August 2021, as a
Boeing C-17 Globemaster III
The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft that was developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of two ...
of the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
was taking off, crowds of people trying to escape the
2021 Taliban offensive
A military offensive by the Taliban insurgent group and other allied militants led to the fall of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan based in Kabul and marked the end of the nearly 20-year-old War in Afghanistan, that had begun following the ...
were seen running alongside and clinging onto the aircraft. The aircraft lifted up into the air with people still holding on, with at least two dying after falling from the aircraft and an unknown number possibly crushed and killed by the landing gear retracting; human remains were found in the wheel well. The incident was widely reported in U.S. and international media.
Non-aircraft related
* On 31 August 1984, Afghan
guerillas exploded a bomb at the airport where several
Aeroflot
PJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines (russian: ПАО "Аэрофло́т — Росси́йские авиали́нии", ), commonly known as Aeroflot ( or ; russian: Аэрофлот, , ), is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Russia. The ...
planes were picking up passengers, killing 28 people and wounding 350 others.
* On 8 September 2009, at around 8:22 AM local time, a suicide bombing took place near the entrance of the airport's military base.
[ ]
*On 3 July 2014, Taliban fighters fired two rockets into the airport, destroying four helicopters. One of the four helicopters belonged to Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
* On 29 January 2015, three American defense contractors and one Afghan national were killed by a gunman outside the airport in late evening local time.
* On 17 May 2015, a suicide bombing by the Taliban near the entrance of the airport occurred, killing three and injuring eighteen.
* On 26 August 2021, more than 185 people were
killed, including at least 13 U.S. service members and 90 Afghans, at the Kabul airport when two
ISIS-K[ suicide bombers ripped through crowds trying to enter the American-controlled facility, disrupting the final push of the U.S.-led evacuation effort. The bombs were set off near a crowd of families at the airport gates who were desperately hoping to make one of the last evacuation flights out. Gunfire was reported in the aftermath of the explosions.
*On 29 August 2021, smoke was seen rising from two explosions which occurred near the airport, one of which killed a child. Explosions occurred hours after U.S. President Joe Biden warned of another terrorist attack in Kabul.
*On 30 August 2021, thermite bombs were used to disable several counter rocket, artillery and mortar systems used to protect the airfield from incoming ISIS-K fired rockets.]
See also
* List of airports in Afghanistan
References
External links
Official Kabul International Airport website
PDF on rebuilding the airport
*
*
*
{{Authority control
1960 establishments in Afghanistan
Airports established in 1960
Airports in Afghanistan
Airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...
Airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...
Military installations of Afghanistan
Military bases of Turkey in Afghanistan
Military installations of the United States in Afghanistan
Military installations of the Soviet Union in other countries
Soviet foreign aid
Afghanistan–Soviet Union relations
Afghanistan–United States relations
Afghanistan–Turkey relations
Airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...