Bamyan Airport–Series 2

Bamyan Aiport has a gravel runway. (Photo by Abbas)

Bamyan Series

Bamyan Series 1

Due to the risky security on the way from Maidan Province, and the long uncomfortable way from Shiber Pass to Bamyan, many tourists and travelers prefer traveling by air. There are no proper flights because Bamyan is yet deprived of a proper Airport. Some private flights of UN and PACTEC operate for INGOs, diplomats and journalists. The small plane containing seven passengers took us 25 minutes to land the unpaved small runway of Bamyan “Airport”. It’s better to be called Bamyan Runway. It is not only being used by private NGO planes, but also the military landings of Kewi Forces or other NATO helicopters.

The Government says it does not need to pave the Runway because the “master plan” of Bamyan contains a modern Airport. The location has been decded, but there are no funds to start construction work. Its true that the Government here could not pave the 1km road of Bamyan Bazaar, how could it construct a temporary Runway or a modern Airport. Thanks to Laura Bush, whose visit of Bamyan last year in this month (June) blessed the province with 2 kilometer road from Governor House to the Runway. Even the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) has not bothered to pave the less-than half kilometer Runway for Kewi Forces.

Many international tourists avoid traveling to Bamyan because of the deplorable way and nonavailability of an Airport. Govt. declared Band-e-Amir as the First National Park. How can tourists visit the world-famous group of lakes with no airport in Bamyan?

A plane of Hizb-e-Wahdat's Bamyan Air crashed on the gravel runway during Wahdat's rule in Bamyan. (Photo by Abbas)

Bamyan Runway was first made by Hizb-e-Wahdat, during its rule in Bamyan before Taliban took over the province in 1998. The Runway was dug and leveled by people voluntarily. During its rule, a plane of Hizb-e-Wahdat’s Bamyan Air bringing top leadership of Wahdat was crashed on the Runway while landing. Other than that, Bamyan Runway has long history of bloodshed. It used to be the center of military landings during Soviet invasion. Several times controlled by the people of Bamyan, many soviet choppers and tanks were destroyed on this Runway.