Six U.S. commercial airlines ordered to provide planes in Afghanistan

The U.S. Department of Defense on Sunday activated the Civil Reserve Air Fleet to assist in the massive evacuation of people from Kabul, Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover of the nation last week.

Six commercial airlines who are members of the Fleet have been ordered to provide passenger airplanes for the evacuation of U.S. citizens and personnel, Special Immigrant Visa applicants, and others at-risk.

A total of 18 planes have been called: Four from United Airlines; Three each from American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Air and Omni Air; and two from Hawaiian Airlines.

The passenger planes will be used to further transport people from interim staging bases outside of Afghanistan to safe locations. They will not fly into Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.

This is only the third time in the history of the program that it has been activated. It was first activated during Operations Desert Shield/Storm from 1990-1992 and the second was during Operation Iraqi Freedom 2002-2003.

Before the program was established in 1951, commercial airlines had been widely used during WWII.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III "greatly appreciates" the support of the airlines, the Pentagon said in a statement.

Check out

The China Report

, our new weekly newsletter.Subscribe here!