Since it's plain that the evacuation only continues by consent of the Taliban, could there be mileage in chartering civil aircraft to increase capacity, with government indemnity for the inevitable lack of insurance cover? Yes, there is potential for rogue fighters to attempt shoot-downs, but they'd presumably be looking for an 'Allahu akbar' social media moment against a grey military aircraft of the infidel armies. Might one therefore judge that a Qatari livery would be the best defensive aid of all? More capacity equals more 'direct' flights, keeping pax on board during an outbound refuelling stop, which would address the issues being encountered on the ground at al Udeid. (I'd have suggested PIA as another possibility, but they wouldn't really help given their problems with EASA!)
Last edited by Easy Street; 21st Aug 2021 at 10:28.