Everal Indians stranded as Afghanistan shuts airspace
Ere was no clarity en the restrictions Hamid Karzai port would be ed, officials said
rs@hindustantimes.com
National carrier’s duled Air India flight to ul will not be able to operfter the sudden closure of ul’s Hamid Karzai Internaal Airport and the closure rspace over Afghanistan, fficial said. n Air India spokesperson the airspace over Afghanihad been declared closed no commercial aircraft d operate there. irspace over Afghanistan clared closed so no aircraft operate there. Our schedflight to Kabul also cannot an Air India spokesperson . Air India had a flight duled for 12.30pm on Monwo
Airport or Kabul airport was “closed until further notice” and that Kabul’s airspace “has been released to the military”.
The second NOTAM advised all “transit aircraft to reroute” and cautioned that “any transit through Kabul airspace will be uncontrolled”.
Meanwhile, a special flight operated by the Indian Air Force landed in Kabul on Monday afternoon to bring back stranded Indians, including embassy staff, according to people familiar with the developments.
Since Afghanistan has closed its airspace, the special flight circumvented Pakistani airspace and flew over Iran.
A month ago, when a similar flight brought back officials from the Indian consulate in Kandahar, Pakistan had not given over flight permission. Air India operated its last flight to Afghanistan on Sunday.
AI 243 had to hold in the air for over an hour as gun-toting Talibs entered the capital city and security forces started surrendering.
The Air Traffic Control staff too was not available to guide the flight, as the Talibs, who captured the country with stunning speed and ferocity, also started entering the Kabul airport just as the Air India flight was to land.
The flight returned late in the evening with 129 passengers, including officials and security personnel from the Indian embassy and Afghans fleeing their country.
India had kept C 17 Globemasters on standby for evacuation missions. One of them was sent to Afghanistan on Sunday and a second one took off from the Hindon air force station on the outskirts of Delhi on Monday.
According to government officials, at least 200 Indian officials, comprising diplomats and security, are waiting to be evacuated. One official, who did not want to be identified, said, “Taking the staff from the embassy compound to the airport is also a challenge.”
Indian officials had said the Air India flights will continue to operate, though there was no clarity when the restrictions on Kabul airport would be lifted.
In a related development, at least five people were killed at the Kabul airport on Monday as hundreds of people stormed into the area to board planes leaving the Afghan capital, news agency Reuters reported citing eyewitnesses.
It is not clear whether they died in firing or in a stampede. There were also reports of US troops firing in the air at the airport .