7 Airlines Vow to Assist U.S. Military With Afghanistan Evacuation

From Alaska to Hawaii, multiple airlines recently announced their plans to help the U.S. government with the Afghanistan evacuation mission.  

On Aug. 14, the Taliban seized Kabul, the Capital of Afghanistan. Over the following weeks, Television news reports have aired footage of military flights leaving the middle-Eastern country. Now news has broken on how those people will travel once on U.S. soil.

Last Friday, Alaska Airlines announced it would assist the U.S. Department of Defense by operating “military charter flights to provide transportation within the U. S.”

“We are proud to support our military service members and grateful to all our employees who have served our country around the world, many of whom have reached out to offer their assistance during this time of need. Our values drive us to do the right thing and be kind-hearted, and we will bring this same sense of service to these operations and those we welcome on board as our guests,” Alaska Airlines said in a release.

It’s not the first time the airline has helped the U.S. military in a crisis. Alaska Airlines helped with the “BerlinAirlift in 1948 and Operation Magic Carpet, the airlift of thousands of Yemenite Jews to Israel in 1949.”

And Alaska isn’t the only airline to help with the Afghanistan evacuation. Here are six other airlines GEM Journal Today found contributing flights to what’s referred to as the Civil Reserve Air Fleet program…

1. American Airlines

The Fort-Worth, Texas airline committed to sending three “wide-bodied” aircraft to Arabian Peninsula and Europe. The goal is to assist in the U.S. military’s evacuation efforts without impacted its usual day-to-day operations.

2. Atlas Air

On August 27, Atlas Air released a statement saying it will contribute “three 747 aircraft to support the CRAF activation and also continues to provide additional 767 passenger aircraft in support of these evacuations and other missions.” Atlas touts it has assisted the military for more than two decades.

3. Delta Airlines

Last week, Delta Airlines flew three “long-range” aircraft. One is a Boeing 767 and the other are wide-bodied jets, each can transport more than 800 passengers.

4. Omni Air International

Omni is also contributing three aircraft.

5. Hawaiian Airlines

Hawaiian is sending in two aircraft.

6. United Airlines

United has committed to sending four aircraft to assist.

The Takeaway

These airlines putting utilizing their resources at a landmark time in history is something that will be forever remembered. It’s a true act of humanity in hospitality. There has always been a time for hospitality heroes. But now in a world of uncertainty and political unrest throughout the world, some positivity can go a long way.

This type of publicity is sure to bring more customers to these airlines in the future.