RAF pilot who flew 365 refugees out of Afghanistan during Taliban takeover receives Air Force Cross

An RAF pilot who successfully flew a plane carrying refugees out of Afghanistan just 10ft away from a bus on the runway said that receiving an honour for his brave actions was ‘awesome’.

In August last year, a suicide bomb went off at Kabul Airport just before Group Captain Kevin Latchman attempted to take off with 365 people on board a C-17 plane.

Amid the ‘chaotic scene’, Group Capt Latchman made the decision to launch on the pitch-black runway following a power cut, narrowly missing the bus that had driven into their path.

Last Thursday, he was given the Air Force Cross for leadership and bravery by the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace.

The RAF Pilot was invested with the honour by the Prince of Wales

Babies were thrown over barbed wire towards troops at Kabul airport in a desperate bid to get them out of the country during the west’s ignominious exit from Afghanistan in August last year

Group Capt Latchman said: ‘Receiving the honour today was fantastic, it’s really nice to be recognised for something like that and it was a team effort.

‘Everything about Operation Pitting was a team effort and I ended up being in the wrong place at the wrong time but did the right thing.

‘It was amazing to see the Prince of Wales today and have the family here, it’s quite awesome. I’ve never been through the front gates of Buckingham Palace before and I may not ever do it again.

‘I spoke to the Prince of Wales about the incident itself, he was aware of it and I spoke about my decision-making, what happened.’

Civilians prepare to board a plane during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport on Wednesday, August 18

US troops at Kabul airport used tear gas to control crowds of frantic Afghans who are trying to climb over to be put on evacuation flights. Footage shows shots being fired into the air in the darkness to disperse crowds 

Operation Pitting was a British military operation to evacuate British nationals and eligible Afghans from the country amid the Taliban takeover last August.

It was while in the air they realised the bus had been missed by 10ft.

Group Capt Latchman had made the decision to force the plane into the air early.

He added: ‘What was running through my head at the time was actually that clear decision-making process, it was quite instinctive.

‘It was quite clear I couldn’t stop, it was quite clear I couldn’t get to my speed, so we were left with one option.

‘The enormity of it hit in later once we were at a height, and that’s when the shock kicked in.’