Afghan Overflight Corridor
Live status & airspace monitoring
Afghanistan (OAKX — Kabul FIR) remains under persistent advisory since the August 2021 political transition. FAA SFAR 116 and EASA CZIB advisories apply. The corridor is a significant node for India–Europe westbound flow and Central Asia–Middle East north-south flow; overflight continues under specific arrangements by some carriers, while others reroute via Iranian, Pakistani, or Uzbekistani airspace. Live status, FIR-by-FIR detail, and source lineage below are continuously verified by FlySafe Sentinel from primary aviation data sources.
Executive summary
OAKX (Kabul FIR) remains in advisory status since August 2021 with no material change in the regulatory posture. A narrow set of regional and Asian carriers operates scheduled overflight; most Western, Indian, and Gulf carriers continue to avoid the corridor. The next review window should track FAA SFAR 116 expiration cycle and EASA CZIB Afghanistan amendments.
FIR-by-FIR status
| ICAO | Status | Last change | Source | Retrieved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OAKX | ADVISORY (overflight conditional) | 2021-08 (regime transition baseline) | EASA CZIB / FAA SFAR 116 | 2026-05-09T07:00:00Z |
| OPLR | Reroute alternative — closed to Indian carriers | 2025-04-24 | FlySafe FIR Status Detection | 2026-05-09T07:00:00Z |
| OPKR | Reroute alternative — minimal traffic | no recent change | FlySafe Traffic Volume Monitoring | 2026-05-09T07:00:00Z |
| OIIX | Reroute alternative — open with sanctions caveats | no recent change | AIRAC Aeronautical Information Cycle | 2026-05-09T07:00:00Z |
| UTTR | Reroute alternative — Uzbekistan, open | no recent change | AIRAC Aeronautical Information Cycle | 2026-05-09T07:00:00Z |
Regulatory context
FAA SFAR 116 (Special Federal Aviation Regulation, 14 CFR Part 91) prohibits US-registered civil aircraft from flight operations in OAKX except for specific government and humanitarian-purpose flights. EASA Conflict Zone Information Bulletins (CZIB) maintain advisory status for OAKX under EASA SIB 2021-09 and successor amendments. ICAO Annex 11 §2.6 governs overflight permission protocols at FIR boundaries. Carriers operating through OAKX rely on bilateral arrangements with the de facto authority; AIP entries for OAKX are not currently captured in primary data sources — refer to state authority directly. EU Regulation 965/2012 ORO.GEN.110 requires operators to assess third-country airspace risk independently.
Industry implications
OAKX advisory status creates a structural detour cost for Europe–Southeast Asia great-circle routings. Without industry cost-analysis data subscription, specific cost projections cannot be quantified. Operators routing via Pakistani OPKR/OPLR face additional sanctions cascading from the India–Pakistan closure. Iranian OIIX and Central Asian alternatives (UTTR, UTAA) remain open with their own bilateral and sanctions caveats. Lessors and insurers should monitor FAA SFAR 116 renewal cycles and EASA CZIB amendments as proxy indicators for risk-posture shifts. The corridor's strategic position means any policy shift would have outsized impact on India–Europe and Central Asia–Middle East westbound flow.
Source lineage
- FlySafe FIR Status Detection (24-hour zero-traffic threshold) retrieved 2026-05-09T07:00:00.000Z
- FlySafe Traffic Volume Monitoring retrieved 2026-05-09T07:00:00.000Z
- EASA Conflict Zone Information Bulletins (CZIB) retrieved 2026-05-09T07:00:00.000Z
- FAA Special Federal Aviation Regulations (SFAR) retrieved 2026-05-09T07:00:00.000Z
- AIRAC Aeronautical Information Cycle retrieved 2026-05-09T07:00:00.000Z
Related references
Update Log
- 2026-05-09 Migrated to FlySafe Sentinel continuous monitoring.
- 2026-04-23 Briefing registered for content-freshness monitoring.
Afghan Overflight Corridor — Frequently Asked Questions
Common search queries answered with current status, FIR codes, and source citations.
- Is Afghan airspace open for overflight in 2026?
- OAKX (Kabul FIR) operates as a restricted overflight corridor. A limited number of carriers operate scheduled overflight while many Western and third-country operators continue to avoid OAKX entirely. EASA Conflict Zone Information Bulletins remain in effect. Routing alternatives include detours via Iran, Pakistan, or Central Asian airspace.
- Which airlines fly through Afghan airspace?
- Approved overflight is conducted by a narrow set of regional and Asian operators under specific arrangements. Major Western carriers, Indian carriers (since the Pakistan closure cascaded routing), and most Gulf carriers continue to avoid OAKX. Routing decisions are made independently by each operator based on internal safety policies and aviation authority guidance.
- What is the cost impact of avoiding Afghan airspace?
- Specific cost figures cannot be independently verified at this time. Detours around OAKX add flight time on Europe–Southeast Asia great-circle routings, with corresponding fuel-burn and crew-duty implications. The exact penalty depends on the origin–destination pair and which alternative corridor (north via Central Asia or south via the Arabian Sea) is used. Operator-specific quantification depends on industry data subscriptions FlySafe currently does not access.
- What FIR code covers Afghanistan?
- Afghanistan is covered by OAKX (Kabul FIR). Major airports include OAKB (Kabul), OAHR (Herat), OAMS (Mazar-i-Sharif), OAKN (Kandahar). OAKX is the four-letter ICAO designator referenced in EASA CZIB and FAA SFAR documentation.
FlySafe provides automated computation of numerical indices from publicly available data. Indices are raw computational output and do not represent opinions, assessments, recommendations, or advice of any kind. They do not replace official NOTAMs, SIGMETs, AIPs, or communications from aviation authorities. Operators must independently verify current airspace status through official channels. See Terms of Service for full details.