U.S. Airlines Ordered by Pentagon to Help in Afghanistan Evacuations


Skift Take

In a rare call to duty, U.S. airlines are being asked to do their patriotic part to help extract civilians in need.

The Department of Defense on Sunday ordered U.S. commercial airlines to provide Afghanistan evacuations for at-risk individuals, special immigrant visa applicants, U.S. citizens and personnel. This is only the third time commercial airlines have been deployed by the military for assistance, the first for Operation Desert Shield/Storm in the early 1990s, and the second for Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2002-2003. The order comes