Bagram Airfield (OAI)

Bagram Airfield is a large military airfield in Afghanistan's Parwan Province, about 40 km north of Kabul and roughly 11 km southeast of Charikar. For decades it has been one of Afghanistan's most important air facilities, supporting military, cargo and humanitarian operations across the country.

The airfield has a long operational history dating from the Soviet era, when substantial hangars and support infrastructure were built. It was expanded significantly during the early 2000s, including a longer concrete runway completed in 2006 that could handle large transport aircraft. In July 2021, the base was handed over to Afghan forces as US and NATO troops withdrew.

Bagram has two runways, the longest of about 3,600 metres, together with hangars, fuel facilities and cargo areas. It remains a restricted, primarily military facility rather than a conventional commercial passenger airport, and scheduled passenger services are not routinely operated.

Access to the airfield is by road from Kabul and nearby towns and is tightly controlled. Most visitors and operators arrange approved ground transport in advance, with journeys to central Kabul normally taking around 45 minutes to an hour depending on conditions.