Afghan Crisis: Air India’s Kabul Flight Rescheduled, 2 Aircraft On Standby

In view of the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan, Indian national carrier Air India flights have been rescheduled for Kabul for evacuation.

The flight has scheduled to take off in the morning will leave for the war-torn capital in today afternoon.

Moreover, two more flights are on standby for evacuation for both Indian and Afghan nationals residing there.

"Air India flight has been rescheduled for Kabul from 8:30 am to 12:30 due to prevailing situation in Kabul," an Air India official told ANI.

Flight operations from around the world are affected at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International (HKI) airport due to the ongoing turmoil in Afghanistan.

"Two aircraft with a proper set of the flight crew are on standby for Kabul evacuation. The government is monitoring the situation very closely," the government official told ANI.

Sources also indicated that the road to the Kabul airport was blocked since night due to the ongoing violence in the city.

"The passengers, as well as the airline staff, are facing severe and challenging conditions to reach the airport," sources told ANI.

Communication with airline employees is also challenging, with mobile networks not operational in many parts of the cities.

Air India operates one flight per day to Kabul and the airline has advance booking for that. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), and Air India are in touch and continuously monitoring the situation in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Taliban terrorists are assuming control of the Afghan capital of Kabul and have taken control of the presidential palace after the country's president Ashraf Ghani fled to Tajikistan.

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