#Airlines avoid Afghanistan amid Taliban takeover

Airlines are canceling flights to Kabul and re-routing international voyages to avoid Afghanistan airspace after the Taliban swiftly conquered the country’s capital over the weekend.

United Airlines, which is flying non-stop to Delhi, India daily from Newark Liberty International Airport and five times a week from Chicago O’Hare International Airport, said it’s directing those flights to avoid Afghan airspace.

“Due to the dynamic nature of the situation we have begun routing affected flights around Afghanistan airspace,” a representative said in a statement.

United said it will work with the International Air Transport Association and the Federal Aviation Administration “to evaluate the situation and determine how we continue service to markets impacted.”

United says it’s the only US airline currently flying to India.

Earlier this summer, the FAA prohibited US airlines from flying over Afghanistan airspace below 26,000 feet due to increased risks “posed by extremist/militant activity.”

In addition, United Arab Emirates-based Flydubai and Emirates both suspended flights to Afghanistan.

“Flydubai temporarily suspends its operations to Kabul. We will continue to monitor the situation and revise our plans in line with the directives from the authorities,” a spokesperson for Flydubai said in a statement. “We will be in touch with the passengers regarding their refund and rebooking options.”

And on Sunday, Emirates canceled its flights to and from Kabul for Monday and Tuesday, but about three hours later it announced that “all Emirates flights to/from Kabul have been suspended until further notice.”

“Customers holding tickets with final destination to Kabul will not be accepted for travel at their point of origin,” the company said. “Emirates regrets any inconvenience caused.”

The airline added that affected customers should contact their booking agents or the local Emirates office for options.

The flight changes come after the Taliban toppled the Western-backed government after a lightning offensive in which the radical Islamic militants captured one provincial capital after another before entering Kabul.

President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, bringing a stunning end to a two-decade campaign in which the US and its allies had tried to transform Afghanistan, whose security forces collapsed even before the withdrawal of the last American troops.

Thousands of Afghans fearing a return to Taliban rule have been desperately trying to flee the country through Kabul’s international airport, where five people were killed Monday, witnesses told Reuters.

The Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul has become a scene of chaos as videos and images emerge of the hectic evacuation of American officials and allies try to flee and local nationals, fearing a return to Taliban rule, desperately try to board departing planes.