Austin management will activate 18 commercial flights to assist in evacuation efforts: three from American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Air Lines and Omni Air; those of Hawaiian Airlines; and four from United Airlines.
The planes will not fly to Hamid Karzai International Airport, but “will be used for the movement of passengers from temporary shelters and temporary bases,” the Pentagon said in a press release.
As a sign of the gravity and urgency of the situation, this is the third time the program has been activated in its history, the first two times being Operations Desert Shield / Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to the Pentagon.
Activation of the program will increase “passenger movement beyond organic capacity and allow military aircraft to focus on operations inside and outside Kabul,” the Department of Defense said.
CNN has contacted airlines to comment.
United Airlines said Sunday it is activating four Boeing 777-300s as part of the civilian reserve air fleet.
“United is proud to partner with the Department of Defense and support the humanitarian mission of flying American citizens and Afghan evacuees,” the airline said in a statement, adding that it is still trying to get the scope of what is expected to have a “small” impact on the rest of its operation.
Atlas Air is “proud to provide” the Pentagon with “essential passenger services in the region at this critical time. We are doing everything we can to provide the capacity needed to support evacuation efforts,” a spokesman for CNN said. the company. .
More than 20,000 people at and around Kabul airport have attempted to board flights outside the country, amid one of the largest air bridges in history.
CNN’s Pete Muntean, Sheena McKenzie and Nick Paton Walsh contributed to this report.