Govt keeps two Air India aircraft on standby for emergency evacuation from Kabul

The government has asked Air India to put two aircraft on standby for emergency evacuations from Kabul. According to government sources, Air India has prepared a set crew for emergency operations from Kabul to Delhi.

Meanwhile, Air India is expected to operate Delhi-Kabul-Delhi flight operations post-noon on Monday, news agency IANS reported. Accordingly, the service is being continued to keep the air link between India and Afghanistan open despite the deteriorating security situation in the latter country.

The flight was originally scheduled to depart at 8.30 am, but the airline is expected to operate it at 12.30 pm now. It is a crucial service to evacuate Indians from the capital of war-torn Afghanistan which saw the Taliban cease power over much of the country.

On Sunday evening, an Air India flight with 129 passengers from Kabul landed in Delhi. The AI 244 had taken off at 6.06 pm on Sunday from the Kabul airport.

The situation in Afghanistan worsened further on Sunday, as Kabul was reportedly taken over by the Taliban. Further, President Ashraf Ghani along with National Security Adviser Hamdullah Muhib and head of the administrative office of President Fazel Mahmood Fazli left Afghanistan for Tajikistan. Some lawmakers have also fled to Islamabad, including Speaker of Afghan Parliament, Mir Rahman Rahmani, Younus Qanuni, Muhammad Muhaqeq, Karim Khalili, Ahmad Wali Masoud, and Ahmad Zia Masoud, according to media reports.