23 August 2021
US Air Force C-17 carries record number of passengers in evacuation flight from Afghanistan
by Pat Host
The US Air Force (USAF) transported 823 Afghanistan citizens from Kabul in a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III strategic transport aircraft on 15 August during a humanitarian mission: a record haul of people in the aircraft the service noted on 20 August.
A USAF Boeing C-17 Globemaster III safely transported 823 Afghan citizens from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on 15 August. US Air Mobility Command said that this is a record for the C-17. (USAF)
The United States is evacuating citizens from Afghanistan as it leaves the Central Asian nation. USAF spokesperson Major Hope Cronin said on 18 August that the flight was designed for, and arrived at, Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
The USAF previously estimated that there were roughly 640 passengers on this flight, but the service inadvertently included only adults. Approximately 183 children were also on board.
Maj Cronin said that the C-17 can be configured with a range of passenger options. The aircraft typically seats 102 passengers with centerline cargo seats and 138 passengers with seat pallets. The C-17 can carry 336 passengers when arranged into a humanitarian configuration where passengers are seated on the cargo floor with straps over their legs.
According to Maj Cronin, the primary safety concern with passenger loads beyond typical configurations is the risk of passenger injury in the event the aircraft encounters adverse conditions while transporting unrestrained passengers. These include severe turbulence, tactical flight maneuvers, and hard landings.
The USAF once carried 670 people in a C-17 for a humanitarian mission when it evacuated residents from Tacloban in the Philippines to Manila following Super Typhoon Haiyan, which hit the Philippines on 17 November 2013.
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The US Air Force (USAF) transported 823 Afghanistan citizens from Kabul in a Boeing C-17 Globemaster...
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