Maqsood Bajrani, captain of a Pakistan International Airline (PIA) plane that was stuck at Hamid Karzai International Airport when Kabul was falling to the Taliban fighters, took a bold step to save his plane and come out of the looming crisis, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Tuesday, quoting sources.

Two PIA planes including an Airbus and a Boing-777 were standard at Kabul Airport after it was shut down suddenly amid the Taliban fighters entering the Afghan capital without facing any resistance.

The sources said PIA CEO Arshad Malik contacted the PIA captain and asked him to control his nerves in the testing times. The PIA CEO was told by the captain that two military planes were present at the runway and ready to take off. 

The sources said PIA CEO directed the captain to take off the flight immediately and gave the last-minute tips to take-off technique with speed in those circumstances. The lives of the passengers were saved with the quick take-off by the captain and the on-time decision made by the PIA CEO.

The Kabul Airport was shut down suddenly because two US Chinook helicopters and four C-130 planes were present at the airport to lift US nationals out of Afghanistan. 

Frantic videos were emerged showing Afghans running along with the US C-17 aircraft and people falling from the plane. 

Later, PIA announced to operate flights for Kabul Airport on August 15, 17, and 18 but the flight operation was cancelled after the chaotic scenes at the Kabul Airport. 

Officials familiar with the situation say PIA has continued its flight operation to Afghanistan with Airbus 320 amid the dramatic events. 

The PIA CEO said, “PIA is living up to its legacy and commitment and is in touch with Pakistan’s ambassador to Afghanistan and Pakistan Embassy.”

Earlier on Sunday, the PIA ECO tweeted, “PIA is living up to its legacy and commitment and is in touch with and Ambassador Masood Khan, Pakistan CAA and Foreign Secretary Foreign Office to assist our nationals in #Afghanistan. We shall leave no stone unturned. My crew is my hero by being at the forefront in this endeavor.”
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