A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane touched down in the Afghan capital on Monday, the first since the Taliban retook power last month.
“There was hardly anyone on the plane, around 10 people … maybe more staff than passengers,” an AFP news agency’s journalist on board the flight from Islamabad said on Monday.
It was not immediately clear if the PIA flight was classified as a regular commercial flight or a special commercial charter.
But, the resumption of flights will be a key test for the Taliban, who have repeatedly promised to allow Afghans with the right documents to leave the country freely.
Many NATO nations admitted that they had run out of time to evacuate thousands of at-risk Afghans before the withdrawal deadline — agreed between the United States and the Taliban.
A PIA spokesman said at the weekend that the airline was keen to resume regular commercial services, but it was too soon to say how frequently flights between the two capitals would operate.
Qatar Airways operated several charter flights out of Kabul last week, carrying mostly foreigners and Afghans who missed out on the evacuation.
An Afghan airline resumed domestic services on September 3.
Kabul airport was left trashed after foreign forces completed their chaotic withdrawal on August 30, evacuating more than 120,000 people from the country.
(With inputs from agencies)
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