An American airline Airbus A321-200 approaches Washington Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Arlington, Virginia on February 24, 2021.
Daniel Slim | AFP | Getty Images
The Biden administration on Sunday activated the civilian reserve air fleet, ordering U.S. commercial airlines to provide flights for Afghanistan’s evacuation efforts.
The CRAF is a nearly 70-year program created under the Berlin Air Bridge to provide a backup of commercial airlines for a “major national defense emergency.”
Activation is for 18 aircraft: three from American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Air Lines and Omni Air; those of Hawaiian Airlines; and four from United Airlines.
The flights would not fly to Afghanistan, but would be used to transport those who have already left the country. These routes could include flying individuals found on U.S. bases in Germany, Qatar and Bahrain, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news.
This is the third CRAF activation in program history. The first occurred during Operation Desert Shield / Storm in 1990 and 1991 and the second was for Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2002 and 2003.
–CNBC’s Leslie Josephs and Brian Schwartz contributed to this report.
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