Flight operation for Afghanistan evacuation restricted to Islamabad airport

ISLAMABAD: The flight operation for evacuation of people stranded in Afghanistan in the aftermath of a Taliban takeover has been limited to Islamabad airport only after previously being planned in three other cities also, ARY NEWS reported.

The evacuation flights for transit passengers from Afghanistan will now be operated by the Islamabad airport only while the operation has been suspended at Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar airports.

“We have made special arrangements at the Karachi, Peshawar and Lahore airports but now the operations have been suspended,” the sources in aviation said.

As per a previous report, arrangements were finalized at the two major airports in the country-Peshawar and Karachi airports- to facilitate the evacuation of passengers from Afghanistan in the wake of Taliban takeover in Kabul.

An immigration counter was setup at Peshawar airport for passengers being evacuated from Afghanistan. Besides this, health department officials who would be carrying rapid antigen COVID-19 tests are also deployed at the terminal.

Read More: PAKISTAN ACCEPTS US, NATO’S REQUESTS TO ASSIST IN AFGHANISTAN EVACUATION

The airport administration said that they have also taken measures for landing and refueling the planes at the Peshawar airport.

Moreover, the authorities have also finalized arrangements at Jinnah International Airport Karachi and the boarding bridge number 21 has been fixed for flights arriving from Kabul.

Separate immigration and health counters have also been established for the passengers arriving from these special flights at the airport.