Since the fall of Kabul, Afghanistan, to the Taliban on August 15, the world has united to rescue their nationals and Afghans. We have compiled a list of ten countries that fly day and night, in very difficult conditions, to rescue as many people as possible.

Please note that the list of countries below is neither complete nor exhaustive. There are some countries that we haven’t covered in this article. (Netherlands, Czech Republic, Denmark, etc.)

Canada

Canada uses two CC-177 Globemasters to rescue Canadian nationals and Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban takeover. The first flight left Kabul airport on Thursday evening, carrying 175 Afghans and 13 foreign nationals.

“Globemasters are currently being reconfigured to transport as many people as possible safely, and Canadian Armed Forces personnel are empowered to make decisions on the ground in the interest of saving lives. “

Jessica Lamirande, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense.

Germany

On August 18, the first of three evacuation flights from Afghanistan, on behalf of the German government, arrived in Frankfurt with 130 people.

Lufthansa’s Airbus A340-300 carried passengers who had been taken by the German Air Force from the Afghan capital of Kabul to the Uzbek capital of Tashkent. Other special flights from Tashkent, Doha and other neighboring countries are expected to be used for evacuation purposes in the coming days.

In addition, the German joint forces carry out rescue flights using the A400; as of yesterday, 11 flights had been carried out, with 1,640 people on board in total.

Pakistan

Pakistan International Airlines was the only commercial airline to continue to serve Kabul, after all others withdrew on August 16.

However, after several thefts and the evacuation of around 2,000 people from Kabul, including journalists, diplomats and IMF / World Bank staff, PIA decided to suspend operations due to insecurity in the country. tarmac and taxiways, debris and lack of airport personnel and facilities for flight operations. .

On Friday 20, PIA operated two flights using an A320 and a Boeing 777. PIA CEO Arshad Malik personally visited Kabul to assess the situation.

United States

The United States is by far the country that performs the most rescue flights, with several flights per day. President Joe Biden said on Friday that the United States had evacuated around 13,000 people since last weekend and 18,000 since July.

On August 15, the USA Air Force transported 823 Afghan citizens from Hamid Karzi International Airport. A new record for the C-17 Globemaster. The initial count of 640 included only adults, 183 children were also on board.

CNN International correspondent Clarissa Ward shared details of her flight from Kabul in a C-17 on Friday. The flight departed for Doha, with nearly 300 Afghans and US nationals on board.

Yesterday, an Afghan mother gave birth to a baby girl just after landing at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The mother began to have complications while the aircraft was at flying altitude due to the drop in pressure in the aircraft cabin.

“The aircraft commander decided to descend to altitude to increase the air pressure in the aircraft, which stabilized and saved the mother’s life.”

On August 21, the National Airlines A330-200 (flight number NCR420, registration N819CA) was the first US commercial carrier to airlift Afghan evacuees to the United States. The plane, with 270 passengers, landed at Washington Dulles Airport around 1:20 p.m. on Saturday.

The 6,942 mile trip was completed in 14 hours and 37 minutes from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, with a technical stop in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Today, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered the Civilian Reserve Air Fleet to activate, requesting 18 planes from various US airlines, to assist in the evacuation of Afghans and Americans. This is only the third time in history that American airlines have been mobilized by the military.

American Airlines, Atlas Air, Omni Air, and Delta are to supply three planes each, Hawaiian Airlines will supply two planes, and United Airlines will supply four planes. These planes will not fly to Kabul, they will be used to pick up passengers from transit bases in the Middle East and transport them to the United States or other locations.

Spain

So far, 378 people have arrived at Torrejón air base near Madrid on six planes. Yesterday evening, two A400Ms left Kabul for Dubai with 177 people on board, 110 of whom are Afghan collaborators from Spain and the remaining 67 from the United States.

France

The French Air Force‘s A400M evacuated again on Saturday 21. As the plane took off from Al Dhafra air base, it fired anti-missile flares; we still do not know why. Since Monday, more than 570 people have been evacuated from Kabul on A400M and C130 planes provided by the French army.

France is also using the Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) to transport people for the UAE’s second trip to Paris, they have made five flights in the past five days.

India

According to IndiaToday, the country has been allowed to operate two flights a day to evacuate its citizens from Kabul.

To date, India has brought back nearly 400 people on three flights; the first using a C-17 IAF, from Kabul to Hindon Air Base near Delhi, with 168 people on board. Another group of 87 Indians and two Nepalese nationals were also transported on a special Air India flight from Dushanbe.

Australia

The Royal Australian Air Force uses both the C-130 and the C-17 to exit Australian citizens and Australian visa holders from Kabul. Most of these rescue flights are destined for Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates. From there, a chartered Hi Fly A340 must transport them to Australia.

Belgium

The Belgian Air Force sent two C130s to transport the evacuees from Kabul to Islamabad, from there an A330 MRTT transported the passenger to Europe.

Currently, an Air Belgium Airbus A340 is en route to Islamabad, Pakistan, to bring evacuees from Kabul to Belgium on behalf of the Belgian government.

UK

The Royal Air Force deployed a C-17 and an A400M in Kabul, to transport the evacuees to the United Arab Emirates. From there, the A330 MRTT transports them to the United Kingdom.

“We did not send a single empty plane,” British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told Sky News, adding that the unoccupied seats had been allocated to NATO allies.

Wallace said 2,000 British and Afghan employees would be called upon by Britain to leave Afghanistan in the coming days.

Turkey

Yesterday 379 Turkish nationals left Kabul via two Turkish Air Force A400Ms.

Last Monday, August 16, the Turkish Airlines Boeing 777 was the last civilian plane to land in Kabul after being on hold for almost an hour; amid the chaos at the airport, the plane took off with 324 passengers on board.

Indonesia

On August 20, the Indonesian Air Force dispatched a Boeing 737-400 to evacuate 26 of their nationals, along with five Filipinos and two Afghan nationals, from Kabul via Pakistan.

Italy

Until yesterday, the Italian Air Force rescued 1,600 Afghans in Rome using a Boeing KC-767A and a C-130J.

Please note that the list of countries below is neither complete nor exhaustive. There are some countries we haven’t covered in this article. (Netherlands, Czech Republic, Denmark, New Zealand, etc.)