Why Turkish Airlines Cancelled Flights from Afghanistan?

The national flag carrier of Turkey, Turkish airlines canceled all flights to Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover. Taliban captured Kabul and a special airline to bring back Turkish nationals from Afghanistan is expected to arrive at the Istanbul Airport at 2:20 pm (1120GMT).

Here's What You Need to Know About the Unfolding of the Events That Took Place in Kabul, Afghanistan

• After the seizure of power by the Taliban in Kabul, the escape program for foreign nationals, Afghans, and diplomatic personnel has been duly performed in droves over the past few days. 
• The Hamid Karzi International airport was in chaos as passengers in hundreds gathered at the airport to board a flight out of the city. This led to a situation of unrest, where all commercial flights from Afghanistan have been canceled. 
• The insurgents took over the control of the presidential palace in Kabul resulting in the flee of former President Ashraf Ghani and a council was formed, consisting of the former president Hamid Karzai, veteran politician Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, and top peace negotiator Abdullah Abdullah, to expedite the transfer of power in Afghanistan. 

The citizen who wishes to evacuate after Turkish airlines canceled flights from Afghanistan can now connect with the Turkish Embassy in Kabul for help and support. A special airline is going to evacuate citizens who wish to leave the city. Massive numbers of Afghans were ready to fleece the city and flocked to the airport, making it hard for airline personnel to deal with the massive crowd at the airport. This affected the air traffic and professionals were unable to handle it properly resulting in the cancellation of all scheduled flights on Aug 16 by the Turkish airlines.  

Normally there are 10 operational Turkish airlines flights to Afghanistan in a week between Istanbul and Kabul.  But because of the capture of the capital by Taliban forces, Turkish airlines flights were canceled. This included the cancellation of all commercial flights, worsening the overall situation in Kabul.

The potential evacuation plan was put forth by the Turkish Embassy as they contacted around 1500 Turkish citizens residing in the country along with owners and workers of the Turkish industry and companies.

Are Turkish Airlines flying to Afghanistan?

The Turkish Embassy has taken charge of meeting the necessary preparations in order to launch a successful evacuation program for the citizens who desire to flee from Afghanistan. They have started collecting citizens’ demands of evacuation by providing ample opportunities for them to fly out of Kabul, the city under attack and seized by the Taliban. 

The other relevant institutions have been contacted to make the necessary arrangements to prepare for the mass evacuation of citizens from Kabul. Flights from Kabul are fully operational now and this was confirmed by Afghanistan’s civil aviation authority. The airport in Kabul is now ready for international flights. 

Domestic flights are available to citizens and those who wish to take a flight to flee out of Kabul can do so. Recently, flights from Qatar, Pakistan, and the UAE landed at the airport.  Travelers can check the information on the website and can gather flight-related information from the official Turkish airline's website.