Amid the chaos following the Taliban’s takeover, the U.S. military and its coalition partners have ramped up Afghanistan evacuation flights, surpassing 25,000 refugees rescued so far. Yet, many more still await safe passage. To accelerate the process, the Defense Department has enlisted help from commercial air carriers to transport evacuees from staging bases outside Afghanistan to further destinations.
Currently, Delta Airlines, United, American Airlines, and Hawaiian Airlines are providing 18 planes for this critical operation.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby emphasized that the commercial planes involved in these Afghanistan evacuation flights will not be flying into Hamid Karzai International Airport. Instead, they will conduct routes from third-country safe havens to various destinations.
Kirby explained that this mission ensures “onward movement of passengers from temporary safe havens and interim staging bases,” freeing military aircraft to focus on outbound operations from Kabul.
This activation of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) marks just the third time in history that the Department of Defense has initiated the program. Created in 1951 after the Berlin Airlift, the CRAF allows for a voluntary, paid agreement between the government and private airlines.
Airlines that participate gain preferential treatment on peacetime Pentagon contracts in return for stepping in during emergencies.
The CRAF was previously activated during the first Gulf War and again during Operation Iraqi Freedom between 2002 and 2003.
Now, this seldom-used initiative is being mobilized to address the urgent need created by the Afghanistan crisis. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken explained, “We’ve now asked, through the authority that the president has, airlines to help participate in moving people—not out of Kabul—but from these third-country sites as we complete security checks.”
Blinken told Fox News, “We’ve reached agreements with about two dozen countries across four continents helping with the transit of people from Kabul, ensuring we have the flight capacity to take them to their final destinations.”
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin formally activated the CRAF following scenes of mass panic at Kabul airport, where refugees flooded the tarmac trying to flee the Taliban’s resurgence.
Delta VP John Laughter affirmed Delta’s continued commitment, stating, “For decades, Delta has actively played a role in supporting the U.S. military and our troops, and we are again proud to pledge Delta people and our aircraft in support of our country’s relief efforts.”