Flights over Kabul

Flights over

Kabul

A look at some of the military and civilian aircraft that operated out of Kabul airport after the Taliban took control of the capital.

Flights over

Kabul

A look at some of the military and civilian aircraft that operated out of Kabul airport after the Taliban took

control of the capital.

Flights over

Kabul

A look at some of the military and civilian aircraft that operated out of Kabul airport after the Taliban took control of the capital.

Flights over Kabul

A look at some of the military and civilian aircraft that operated out of Kabul airport after the Taliban took control of the capital.

Flights over Kabul

A look at some of the military and civilian aircraft that operated out of Kabul airport after the Taliban took control of the capital.

When Afghanistan’s government collapsed and the Taliban began to roll into Kabul, a huge multinational evacuation began. Aircraft of all types flew in and out of the airport there as the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan drew to a close. Here is a look at what was flying and what they might have been up to - although identifying aircraft and their purpose is not an exact science.

Commercial flights

In the week leading up to the Taliban entering Kabul, the sky over the city was a hive of activity, and hundreds of Afghans fled on airliners. Data from FlightRadar24 show that from Aug. 10 to 16, more than 80 international flights departed from Kabul to Bahrain, Bulgaria, Georgia, India, Iran, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, UAE and Uzbekistan.

The planes would not have looked out of place at a peaceful airport anywhere else in the world: Boeing 737s, 777s and 767s, Airbus A310s, A319s and A320s were among the models shuttling passengers out.

Commercial airline flights

Aug. 10-25

Airport

KABUL

CITY

Commercial airline flights

Aug. 10-25

Airport

KABUL

CITY

Commercial airline flights

Aug. 10-25

Designated airways

Most commercial

aircraft join these

corridors after takeoff

Airport

KABUL

CITY

Commercial airline flights

Aug. 10-25

Designated airways

Most commercial

aircraft join these

corridors after takeoff

Airport

KABUL

CITY

Commercial airline flights

Aug. 10-25

Designated airways

Most commercial

aircraft join these

corridors after takeoff

Airport

KABUL

CITY

Many Afghans flew to the Middle East and other parts of Asia, but as commercial airlines suspended operations and the Taliban closed in, others were left stranded.

On Aug. 16, Turkish Airways operated the last commercial flight out of Kabul. Then Afghan airspace was closed and its control was turned over to the U.S. military.

Airport

Aug. 10 and 11

Highest volume of traffic in the week

Aug. 12 and 13

Fewer flights the following two days

Aug. 14 and 15

Taliban enter Kabul and panic engulfs the capital

Turkish Airlines flight 707

The additional evacuation flight was the last out at 9:10 am local time

Aug. 16

Airspace closes due to swarms of Afghan civilians on the tarmac

Aug. 18 to 25

Airspace reopens for a small number of flights

Airport

Aug. 14 and 15

Aug. 12 and 13

Taliban enter Kabul and panic engulfs the capital

Turkish Airlines flight 707

The additional evacuation flight was the last out at

9:10 am local time

Aug. 18 to 25

Aug. 16

Airspace reopens for a small number of flights

Airspace closes due to swarms of Afghan civilians on the tarmac

Airport

Aug. 14 and 15

Aug. 12 and 13

Taliban enter Kabul and panic engulfs the capital

Turkish Airlines flight 707

The additional evacuation flight was the last out at

9:10 am local time

Aug. 16

Aug. 18 to 25

Airspace reopens for a small number of flights

Airspace closes due to swarms of Afghan civilians on the tarmac

Turkish Airlines flight 707

Additional evacuation flight was the last out

Airport

Aug. 18 to 25

Aug. 10 and 11

Aug. 12 and 13

Aug. 14 and 15

Aug. 16

Airspace reopens for a small number of flights

Fewer flights the following two days

Airspace closes due to civilians on the runway

Highest volume of traffic for the week

Taliban enter Kabul

Turkish Airlines flight 707

The additional evacuation flight was the last out at 9:10 am local time

Airport

Aug. 10 and 11

Aug. 12 and 13

Aug. 14 and 15

Aug. 16

Aug. 18 to 25

Fewer flights the following two days

Highest volume of traffic for the week

Taliban enter Kabul and panic engulfs the capital

Airspace closes due to swarms of civilians on the tarmac

Airspace reopens for a small number of flights

Flights have since resumed and picked up pace, with more than a dozen flights operated by commercial airlines departing Kabul between Aug. 18 and 25.

Military evacuations

Military aircraft were in the spotlight as evacuations ramped up. FlightRadar24 data show some military flights out of Kabul between Aug. 10 and Aug. 25, but many military flights in Afghanistan were not tracked. The flights of the C-130, C-17 and A-400M cargo planes shown below may not be all of those that actually operated. The number of evacuees on board specific flights was also not public.

Military evacuation flights

Aug. 10-25

Airport

KABUL

CITY

Most head south to Middle East

Military evacuation flights

Aug. 10-25

Airport

KABUL

CITY

Most head south to Middle East

Military evacuation flights

Aug. 10-25

Airport

KABUL

CITY

Most flights head south to Middle East

Military evacuation flights

Aug. 10-25

Airport

KABUL

CITY

Most flights head south to Middle East

Military evacuation flights

Aug. 10-25

Airport

KABUL

CITY

Most flights head south to Middle East

C-17 Globemaster III

The Globemaster III can carry 85 tons of cargo or

more than 100 passengers. Its 4,500km range

can take it direct from Kabul to central Europe.

C-130J “Hercules”

The Hercules is one of America's longest-serving

aircraft. First introduced in the 1950s, it can

carry 21 tons of cargo or about 100 passengers.

Airbus A400M Atlas

Operated by European militaries, the A400m can

carry about 115 soldiers and their gear or roughly

40 tons of cargo.

C-17 Globemaster III

The Globemaster III can carry 85 tons of cargo or

more than 100 passengers. Its 4,500km range

can take it direct from Kabul to central Europe.

C-130J “Hercules”

The Hercules is one of America's longest-serving aircraft. First introduced in the 1950s, it can carry 21 tons of cargo or about 100 passengers.

Airbus A400M Atlas

Operated by European militaries, the A400m can

carry about 115 soldiers and their gear or roughly

40 tons of cargo.

C-17 Globemaster III

The Globemaster III can carry 85 tons of cargo or

more than 100 passengers. Its 4,500km range

can take it direct from Kabul to central Europe.

C-130J “Hercules”

The Hercules is one of America's longest-serving aircraft. First introduced in the 1950s, it can carry 21 tons of cargo or about 100 passengers.

Airbus A400M Atlas

Operated by European militaries, the A400m can

carry about 115 soldiers and their gear or roughly

40 tons of cargo.

C-17 Globemaster III

The Globemaster III can carry 85 tons of cargo or

more than 100 passengers. Its 4,500km range

can take it direct from Kabul to central Europe.

C-130J “Hercules”

The Hercules is one of America's longest serving aircraft. First introduced in the 1950s, it can carry 21 tons of cargo or about 100 passengers.

Airbus A400M Atlas

Operated by European militaries, the A400m can

carry about 115 soldiers and their gear or roughly

40 tons of cargo.

Evacuation flights ramped up as the withdrawal effort drew to a close. More than 122,000 people were airlifted out of Kabul since Aug. 14, the day before the Taliban regained control of the country two decades after being removed from power by a U.S.-led invasion.

Helicopter missions

Afghanistan’s military operated many types of helicopters, but the most numerous by far was the Mi-17, a Soviet-era utility aircraft. They were not designed to be attack helicopters, although they can be outfitted with weapons, and are more often used for transporting troops or cargo. The aircraft have a range of a few hundred miles, enough to reach neighboring Pakistan or Tajikistan.

In the days since the country’s collapse began, several of the helicopters flew out of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul–the staging point for Western evacuation efforts–and flew repeated patterns over the city and nearby areas. It is not clear what their missions were. FlightRadar24 lists them as being privately operated by two named entities, Red Air Transport and Vertol Systems Co., and by one unnamed private owner.

Some of the flight paths took them over the part of the city where most of the embassies are located. The helicopters also paid regular visits to a fortified site northeast of the airport, reportedly a former secretive CIA detention and interrogation centre which was known as ​​Detention Centre Cobalt, or the Salt Pit.

Mi-17 helicopter flights

Aug. 10-23

Airport

Military

compound

Foreign

embassies

1 km

KABUL

Mi-17 helicopter flights

Aug. 10-23

Military

compound

Airport

KABUL

Foreign

embassies

1 km

MiL Mi171E Helicopter

Mi-17 helicopter flights

Aug. 10-23

Military

compound

Airport

Many flights

circling

this area

KABUL

CITY

British Embassy

U.S. Embassy

Foreign

embassies

1 km

MiL Mi171E Helicopter

Mi-17 helicopter flights

Aug. 10-23

Military

compound

Airport

Many flights

circling

this area

Airport rd.

KABUL

CITY

British Embassy

U.S. Embassy

Foreign

embassies

1 km

MiL Mi171E Helicopter

Mi-17 helicopter flights

Aug. 10-23

Tara Khel

Military

compound

Airport

Many flights

circling

this area

Airport rd.

Foreign

embassies

U.S. Embassy

British Embassy

KABUL

CITY

1 km

MiL Mi171E Helicopter

The helicopters made a handful of flights in the days before the Taliban entered Kabul. Flights increased dramatically on Aug. 15 with a focus on the area where many foreign embassies are located.

In the days after the Taliban took control of the city, the helicopters appeared to switch focus from the embassies to the compound facility northeast of the airport, according to flight path data.

Airport

Aug. 12

Aug. 13

Aug. 14

Flights drop to just one

TALIBAN

ENTER KABUL

Aug. 15

Flights ramp up, particularly

around the old green zone

Compound

Aug. 16 - 23

Movement mostly between the

camp location and airport

Airport

Aug. 14

Aug. 13

Flights drop to just one

Compound

TALIBAN

ENTER KABUL

Aug. 15

Aug. 16 - 23

Flights ramp up, particularly

around the old green zone

Movement mostly between the

camp location and airport

Airport

Aug. 14

Aug. 13

Flights drop to just one

Compound

TALIBAN

ENTER KABUL

Aug. 15

Aug. 16 - 23

Flights ramp up, particularly

around the old green zone

Movement mostly between the

camp location and airport

TALIBAN ENTER KABUL

Compound

Airport

Aug. 12

Aug. 13

Aug. 14

Aug. 15

Aug. 16 - 23

Flights drop to

just one

Flights ramp up, particularly

around the old green zone

Movement mostly between

camp location and airport

TALIBAN ENTER KABUL

Airport

Compound

Embassies

Aug. 12

Aug. 13

Aug. 14

Aug. 15

Aug. 16 - 23

Flights drop to just one

Flights ramp up, particularly

around the old green zone

Movement mostly between the

camp location and airport

What the compound has been used for recently is unknown, but recent satellite pictures taken by Planet Labs show the collection of buildings and paved areas. Various images indicate activity and the movement of a number of vehicles on the ground.

Satellite image showing the compound northeast of the airport. Taken July 15, 2021 / Planet Labs

The Salt Pit was one of the CIA’s so-called black sites, secret overseas locations where suspected extremists detained in the post-9/11 “Global War on Terror” were subjected to harsh interrogation techniques that former President Barack Obama, lawmakers and human rights groups described as torture.

A 2014 Senate Intelligence Committee’s report on the interrogation program found that a detainee – Gul Rahman – died of hypothermia at the site.

The CIA denies it tortured detainees.

U.S. military helicopters

U.S. helicopter operations in Afghanistan do not show up in FlightRadar24 data. But at least three types are present at Kabul’s airport: the CH-47 Chinook, the UH-60 Blackhawk and the AH-64 Apache. Chinooks and Blackhawks can carry people or cargo, and are sometimes outfitted with light weapons. During the evacuation of the U.S. embassy, at least one Chinook could be seen landing to pick up personnel there. Apaches are attack helicopters, and although none have engaged in combat since the Taliban arrived in Kabul, videos showed one using its rotor wash to chase people off an airport runway so an evacuation flight could depart.

Boeing CH-47 Chinook

First introduced in the 1960s, the Chinook

has many modern variants and

is in wide use. It can carry more than

50 troops or 12 tons of cargo.

Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk

Introduced in the late 1970s, the Blackhawk

can be configured for many different

roles--hence the "U" for Utility. It can carry

about a dozen passengers or over a ton of cargo.

Boeing AH-64 Apache

America's mainstay attack helicopter, it has served

in combat in the Middle East since the first Gulf

War in the 1990s.

Boeing CH-47 Chinook

First introduced in the 1960s, the Chinook

has many modern variants and

is in wide use. It can carry more than

50 troops or 12 tons of cargo.

Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk

Introduced in the late 1970s, the Blackhawk

can be configured for many different

roles--hence the "U" for Utility. It can carry

about a dozen passengers or over a ton of cargo.

Boeing AH-64 Apache

America's mainstay attack helicopter, it has served

in combat in the Middle East since the first Gulf

War in the 1990s.

Boeing CH-47 Chinook

Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk

First introduced in the 1960s, the Chinook

has many modern variants and

is in wide use. It can carry more than

50 troops or 12 tons of cargo.

Introduced in the late 1970s, the Blackhawk

can be configured for many different

roles--hence the "U" for Utility. It can carry

about a dozen passengers or over a ton of cargo.

Boeing AH-64 Apache

America's mainstay attack helicopter, it has served

in combat in the Middle East since the first Gulf

War in the 1990s.

Boeing CH-47 Chinook

Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk

Boeing AH-64 Apache

First introduced in the 1960s, the Chinook

has many modern variants and

is in wide use. It can carry more than

50 troops or 12 tons of cargo.

Introduced in the late 1970s, the Blackhawk

can be configured for many different

roles--hence the "U" for Utility. It can carry

about a dozen passengers or over a ton of cargo.

America's mainstay attack helicopter, it has served in combat in the Middle East since the first Gulf War in the 1990s.

Other aircraft

Smaller aircraft based in Kabul, some of which were military-operated, also hummed in the skies over Afghanistan. Their missions were not disclosed, but small cargo or utility planes such as the Cessna C-208 Caravan–of which Afghanistan’s air force owns several–have flown out of the city multiple times since Aug. 10.

Flights from Aug. 10-16

Flights north

Airport

KABUL

Flights south

5 km

C-208

The Caravan is a small utility aircraft with many military and civilian operators. It can carry about a dozen passengers or an equivalent amount of cargo.

Airport

KABUL

Quest Kodiak

The Kodiak is meant to fly from unpaved surfaces as well as normal runways, and can carry about 10 people or the equivalent amount of cargo.

Flights from Aug. 10-16

Flights north

Airport

KABUL

Flights south

5 km

C-208

The Caravan is a small utility aircraft with many military and civilian operators. It can carry about a dozen passengers or an equivalent amount of cargo.

Airport

KABUL

Quest Kodiak

The Kodiak is meant to fly from unpaved surfaces as well as normal runways, and can carry about 10 people or the equivalent amount of cargo.

Flights from Aug. 10-16

Flights north

Airport

KABUL

Flights south

5 km

C-208

The Caravan is a small utility aircraft with many military and civilian operators. It can carry about a dozen passengers or an equivalent amount of cargo.

Airport

KABUL

Quest Kodiak

The Kodiak is meant to fly from unpaved surfaces as well as normal runways, and can carry about 10 people or the equivalent amount of cargo.

Flights from Aug. 10-16

Flights north

Airport

Airport

KABUL

KABUL

Flights south

5 km

C-208

Quest Kodiak

The Caravan is a small utility aircraft with many military and civilian operators. It can carry about a dozen passengers or an equivalent amount of cargo.

The Kodiak is meant to fly from unpaved surfaces as well as normal runways, and can carry about 10 people or the equivalent amount of cargo.

Flights from Aug. 10-16

Flights north

Airport

Airport

KABUL

KABUL

Flights south

5 km

C-208

Quest Kodiak

The Caravan is a small utility aircraft with many military and civilian operators. It can carry about a dozen passengers or an equivalent amount of cargo.

The Kodiak is meant to fly from unpaved surfaces as well as normal runways, and can carry about 10 people or the equivalent amount of cargo.

Privately owned aircraft in and around Kabul are not well tracked and, with military-controlled airspace, are increasingly rare. The Quest Kodiaks were operated by a Christian missionary group, according to FlightRadar24 data.

Six flights for call sign CHFTAN17

Aug. 10-14

Airport

KABUL

Appears to be orbiting

a major highway south

of the city

Highway

to Kabul

5 km

Six flights for call sign CHFTAN17

Aug. 10-14

Airport

KABUL

Appears to be orbiting

a major highway south

of the city

Highway

to Kabul

5 km

Six flights for call sign CHFTAN17

Aug. 10-14

Airport

KABUL

Appears to be orbiting

a major highway south

of the city

Highway

to Kabul

5 km

Six flights for call sign CHFTAN17

Aug. 10-14

Airport

KABUL

Appears to be orbiting

a major highway south

of the city

Highway

to Kabul

5 km

One aircraft, call sign CHFTN17, had no operator or aircraft type assigned to it. But three times between Aug. 10 and Aug. 16, it took to the air and flew a regular, circular pattern over Kabul. Its mission is not listed in public data.

By

Gerry Doyle, Marco Hernandez, Simon Scarr, Wen Foo, Anand Katakam and Manas Sharma.

Sources

FlightRadar24; Reuters reporting.

Editing by

Michael Collet-White and William Maclean