Pakistan’s state-run airline says due to “uncertain security situation” in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul, all flights have been halted.
Spokesman Abdullah Hafeez said on Monday that Pakistan International Airlines has decided to protect passengers, the crew, and the planes after consulting the Afghan civil aviation authorities.
“He spoke as embassies scrambled to evacuate personnel and Afghan employees through the airport. On Sunday, Taliban militants ended two decades of Western-backed government after a blitz through Afghanistan.”
The viral videos on social media showed chaos at Kabul International Airport overnight, with the sounds of gunfire and hundreds of panicked Afghans running across the tarmac.
By morning, advisories sent by civil aviation authorities announced the “civilian side” of the airport had been “closed until further notice.”
Early Monday morning, flight-tracking data showed no immediate commercial flights over the country.