For Pilots, Evacuations From Kabul A Flight Like No Other

Afghanistan: For pilots in charge of the planes evacuating foreign nationals and Afghans from Taliban-controlled Kabul, the flights have been a journey like no other.

The approach is filled with danger. The conditions on the ground are chaotic, but precise organisation and timing are needed. And the passengers are exhausted and tense. For pilots in charge of the planes evacuating foreign nationals and Afghans from Taliban-controlled Kabul, the flights in and out of the Afghanistan capital have been a journey like no other. Pilots must deal with the already complex location of the airport at high altitude and surrounded by mountains, with intense air traffic like that of a major travel hub with military planes and evacuation flights, relying on their on board Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) to avert crashes. As Western nations prepare to wind down one of the most complex evacuations of civilians since World War II, several pilots shared with AFP their experiences of landing and then taking off from Kabul airport as chaos gripped the country.