Afghanistan has seen a record high number of international flights passing through its airspace in the past week, amid escalating tension in West Asia.

The spike came after Iran launched a massive missile attack on Israel last week, which led to flights diverting and flying over Afghanistan. 

According to The Independent, a record 191 flights passed over Afghanistan, each one paying the Islamic Emirate $700 for the privilege. 

The Independent reported that these flights included British Airways, Lufthansa, and Swiss Air planes.

FlightRadar24 recorded an average of 147 flights per day through Afghan airspace between 19 and 30 September, not including journeys that started or finished in Afghanistan itself.

The number went up to 171 on Tuesday when Iran launched 180 missiles against Israel. And on Thursday and Friday, this number went up to 191, The Independent reported.

Speaking to the publication, FlightRadar24’s spokesperson Ian Petchenik said, "We’re seeing aircraft that would normally transit through Iran make use of Afghanistan airspace now."

"As we start to see more and more airspace restrictions (in West Asia), airlines are making a trade-off or a calculated decision on risk – is this a safe method of operation? And is it safer than the alternative that still allows us to operate these flights?” Petchenik added.

The Afghan airspace has been largely avoided by international flights since the Islamic Emirate regained power in August 2021.

But the number of flights has steadily gone up since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7 last year and the escalating conflict in parts of Middle East and West Asia.

Speaking to Reuters, a spokesperson from FlightRadar24 said that international flights diverted “anywhere they could,” and a snapshot of traffic in the region showed flights spreading in wide arcs to the north and south, with many converging on Cairo and Istanbul.

On Tuesday, about 80 flights, operated by the likes of Emirates, British Airways, Lufthansa, and Qatar Airways and bound for major Middle East hubs such as Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi, were diverted to places such as Cairo and European cities, its data showed.

The special representatives of China, Iran, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and India met on Saturday with Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on the sidelines of the 6th Moscow Format meeting, said Zia Ahmad Takal, deputy spokesman for the ministry.

Takal said in a statement that bilateral political relations and economic cooperation between Afghanistan and the region's countries were discussed in these meetings.

Muttaqi stated that Afghanistan's security situation is reliable and its security is in the interest of all countries in the region.

He emphasized the development of economic, commercial and investment cooperation between Afghanistan and related countries.

The envoys, meanwhile, stressed increasing interaction and all-round cooperation with Afghanistan and described the situation in Afghanistan as reliable.

Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the sixth meeting of the Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan.

The two sides discussed bilateral political and economic relations and regional issues, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) said in a statement on Saturday.

Muttaqi considered the Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan of special importance for the Afghan government and requested that it become a mechanism for developing cooperation between Afghanistan and regional countries.

He mentioned the political and economic developments between Afghanistan and regional countries and expressed hope that the level of diplomatic relations between Russia and the Islamic Emirate will increase.

Muttaqi also talked about security and stability in Afghanistan, saying that security has made conditions suitable for investment in Afghanistan.

According to the Foreign Ministry’s statement, Lavrov emphasized on the expansion of his country's relations with Afghanistan in the political and economic fields, adding that Russian companies are interested in investing in agriculture, mining and transport sectors in Afghanistan.

He also pointed to Afghanistan's position in the wake of recent developments in the region and the world, saying that Afghanistan can play an important role in the region's economic connectivity.