The airport resides at an elevation of 1,457 feet (444 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 11/29 with an asphalt surface measuring 8,100 by 148 feet (2,469 m × 45 m).[2] A new terminal was added in 2017, which has a capacity of housing up to 1,300 passengers.[5] The entire airport was expanded and updated in recent years but some work remains to be completed.[6]
The airport was originally built in 1958 when Afghanistan was ruled by King Zahir Shah.[2] "Two years later, the airport was further constructed by the United States."[2][7] During the 1980s, it was used by Afghan and Soviet forces for military purposes. It was recently used by forces of NATO's Resolute Support Mission.
Each week there are two flights between Kunduz Airport and Kabul International Airport.[6]Kam Air formerly operates services to Kabul International Airport. All flights from Kunduz Airport were suspended between August 2021 and July 2022.
On 17 May 2010, confirmed reports state that Pamir Airways Flight 112, an Antonov An-24, crashed 100 km away from Kabul International Airport.[9] The plane was en route from Kunduz Airport to Kabul, when it suddenly disappeared from radars.[10][11] The wreckage was located on 20 May, rescuers reached the site on 21 May. No signs of life were found.[12]
On 28 September 2015, during the Battle of Kunduz, many civilians from the city of Kunduz fled to the airport, which was not taken by the Taliban.[13] According to a government security official, the Taliban had been vastly outnumbered, with only an estimated 500 fighters remaining against about 7,000 government troops and allied militia members.[13] However, local politicians from Kunduz said that the government had failed to provide leadership and support to its fighters in the area.[13]
On 11 August 2021, the news channel Russia Today, reported that the airport was captured by the Taliban. The airport's government forces had outlasted other centres in Kunduz before its capture.
^Smith, Harvey Henry (1969). Area Handbook for Afghanistan (fourth ed.). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 36. The airports at Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif and Kunduz were built with United States assistance.
Afghanistan
Aviation
