INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:

A contract for the regulation and management of the country&s four airports was signed with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday, the

Afghan Civil Aviation Authority (ACAA) said.The agreement was signed between Hamidullah Akhundzada, acting head of the Ministry of Transport

and Aviation, and Razzaq Aslam, CEO of GAAC, a UAE based consortium with specialist expertise in airport management.Mullah Abdul Ghani

Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Mullah Khairullah Khairkhowa, Acting Minister of Information and Culture, and other

government officials attended the signing event.The agreement comes as Turkey and Qatar have been negotiating with Islamic Emirate officials

for months to manage Afghanistan&s international airfields, however, the negotiations stalled when the IEA opposed requests for foreign

forces to secure the airports.The airports involved are Kabul, Herat and Kandahar.The company will be responsible for unloading and loading

of planes after landing and before takeoff.At the signing ceremony, the First Deputy Prime Minister called on international investors to

invest in Afghanistan, and said the Islamic Emirate is committed to providing them with the necessary investment opportunities.At the

signing ceremony of the contract, the First Deputy PM Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar said that the IEA is working hard to strengthen the

country&s economy. &With this contract, all international airlines will start their flights to Afghanistan in a safe and reliable

environment, and it will help us to increase trading and business with other countries,& Baradar said.Ministry of Transport officials say

the company will provide ground-based services in line with international standards, leading to an increase in international

flights.However, the Deputy Prime Minister says that flights into and out of Kabul will soon increase and Afghanistan&s revenue will

increase through air corridors.The post IEA signs agreement with UAE to manage Afghanistan&s airports first appeared on Ariana News.

IEA signs agreement with UAE to manage Afghanistan’s airports