Jazeera Airways operates relief flight from Kabul to Kathmandu on 17 August 2021

 Reports by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA / Images : Web Screenshots

News (1)

The first 118 Nepalese citizens evacuated from Afghanistan arrived in Kathmandu

On the morning of 17 August 2021, the first batch of 118 Nepalese citizens evacuated from Afghanistan arrived at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. They all worked in the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan.

Nepal Army spokesman Santosh Ballave Poudyal said in an interview with local media that nine Indian citizens who had worked in the U.S. embassy in Afghanistan also followed the evacuees on the same flight and arrived in Kathmandu via Kuwait on a Jazeera Airways flight.

The Nepalese military medical institution will test the evacuees for covid, and based on the test results, decide whether to disband them at home or conduct a centralized quarantine at the isolation center established by the Nepalese government.

According to the statistics of the Nepalese Overseas Migrant Management Department, from July 2020 to July 2021, 1073 Nepalese citizens obtained labour permits to work in Afghanistan. In the past seven years, more than 8,000 Nepalese citizens have obtained labor permits to work in Afghanistan. The number of Nepalese laborers who have not obtained work permits but are stranded in Afghanistan is expected to exceed 14,000. 

News (2)

Which civil aircraft are currently parked at Kabul Airport in Afghanistan?

In the past three days, Kabul Airport has changed from a busy domestic and international hub to a military air base for evacuation. However, there are still several commercial aircraft remaining at Kabul Airport, all belonging to Ariana Afghan Airlines and other Afghan airlines.

Currently, only seven commercial aircraft are parked on the ground at Kabul Airport. All other aircraft have flown abroad, and foreign airlines have also evacuated (except for some emergency flights).

These seven aircraft belong to three airlines. Kam Air has one A340 (YA-KMH) and two 737-300 (YA-KMJ and YA-KML). The flag carrier Ariana Afghan has one A310 (YA-CAV) and two 737-400 (YA-PIC and YA-PID). Finally, Bakhtar Afghan Airlines owns a 737-500 (YA-FGA).

Most of the seven planes were trapped there when the Taliban swept Kabul on 15 August. Soon after, the United States took over all operations at Kabul Airport, including security and air traffic control, and blocked commercial flights. The future of these seven aircraft is still unclear in the short term, because military aircraft are currently in a priority position.

On Sunday and Monday, a large number of Afghans surrounded Kabul Airport and climbed onto planes waiting at Kabul Airport. At present, according to Reuters, there are no crowds on the runway and apron of the airport.