Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) said on Thursday that it has immediately suspended its operations in Kabul, Afghanistan, citing “security reasons”.
Confirming the development, Abdullah Khan, a spokesman for the national carrier, said the airline’s Kabul operations would remain suspended until further notice.
The spokesperson emphasized the fact that PIA had flown in and out of Kabul under “difficult conditions” when all other airlines had ceased operations.
He was referring to the role played by the PIA in the mass evacuations after the Taliban’s rapid takeover of Kabul in August, which caused crowds among people stranded in the Afghan capital amid a lack of flights.
A PIA spokesperson said, “Following the rapidly changing situation in Afghanistan, the PIA evacuated nearly 3,000 people, including international journalists from the United Nations, the World Bank, the IMF, other global organizations.” ..
The spokesperson said that the captains and staff of the PIA put their lives at risk but still continued the evacuation process.