European aviation watchdog advises commercial airlines against flights over Afghanistan

BERLIN, August 18. /TASS/. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is not advising commercial airlines to conduct flights in the airspace of Afghanistan, Europe’s aviation watchdog said on Wednesday, responding to an inquiry from TASS. "EASA is advising commercial operators not to conduct any flights in FIR Kabul airspace [the airspace of Afghanistan] until further notice," the European aviation watchdog said in a statement. The recommendation to avoid the area will be reviewed on September 20, the statement says. On August 15, fighters from the Taliban radical militant group (outlawed in Russia) entered Kabul without any resistance and established full control over the Afghan capital within several hours. President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani announced that he had stepped down to avoid bloodshed and fled the country. Western nations are evacuating their citizens and embassy staff. The Taliban later announced it had established control over all the districts of the Afghan capital. Read more