Afghans complain of expensive airfare

KABUL (TOLOnews): Afghan citizens complained about the expensive prices of airplane tickets, saying that the prices are rising every day.
Juma Khan, a resident of Kabul, said that the prices of airplane tickets are expensive and there are feeble economic conditions.
“The economic condition of the people is weakened while the tickets are expensive. Other airlines don’t have round-trip tickets and only Kam Air has it, thus the prices are high,” he said.
Mohammad Yasin, a resident of Kabul, voiced the same concern.
“I have been coming here to purchase tickets for a long time but the price of tickets has surged compared to before,” he said.
Ehsanullah, a travel agent, said that the prices of tickets have surged by three times compared to before.
“The prices have surged from $400 to $425 and to $450 and Kabul-Dubai tickets have reached $1,000,” he said.
Some of the travel agents, meanwhile, complained that the expensive prices of tickets and the suspension of foreign flights has affected their business.
“The foreign airlines are not coming. The visas are suspended. The embassies are closed. The tickets of airlines which are Kam Air and Ariana Afghan, the prices are too high,” said Tayib Rahman, a travel agent.
“As you know, compared to before, the airlines don’t have operations now in Afghanistan. We only have two airlines operating in Afghanistan,” said Sayedullah, a travel agent.
The airline companies meanwhile said that a surge in prices of oil caused an increase in the price of tickets.
“We are purchasing fuel at three times higher than in the time of the republic… During the time of the republic, there were subsidise —and the whole world is provided with a subsidy system, but we are deprived of it now,” said Rahmatullah Agha, head of Ariana Afghan Airlines.
Despite multiple attempts, TOLOnews was unable to obtain a comment from the Ministry of Transportation and Civil Aviation (MoTCA).