Western nations scrambled to evacuate people from Afghanistan on Wednesday but acknowledged that many Afghans who helped during two decades of war would be left behind to face an uncertain fate under the Taliban when foreign troops leave next week. The effort was taking place against a chaotic backdrop in the capital, Kabul, and its airport, where a massive airlift of foreign nationals and their families as well as some Afghans is under way and due to last until Tuesday. Pressure to complete the evacuations has intensified amid concerns about the security situation outside the airport, where the Taliban are in control. In an alert issued on Wednesday evening, the US Embassy in Kabul advised US citizens to avoid traveling to the airport. It said those already at a number of the airport’s gates should leave immediately. It did not give a reason why the alert was issued. President Joe Biden has ordered all troops out of the South Asian nation by the end of the month, spurning pleas from European allies for more time to get people who helped NATO countries during the conflict to safety. In the 10 days since the Taliban swept into Kabul, the United States and its allies have mounted one of the biggest air evacuations ever, bringing out more than 88,000 people, including 19,000 in the past 24 hours. The US military says planes are taking off the equivalent of every 39 minutes.<br/>
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The EU will discuss on Thursday whether to reimpose curbs on visitors from the US as new coronavirus cases soar. The change was recommended by Slovenia, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency and is responsible for triggering an assessment of countries allowed non-essential travel there, according to two officials familiar with the plans. The US had 507 new Covid-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the first two weeks of August, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, well above the limit of 75 set out in EU guidelines. Still, a move to bar visitors from the world’s largest economy would come as a blow to airlines and travel firms pressing for a full reopening of lucrative transatlantic routes. “Such a decision would be hugely disappointing for Europe’s airlines, not to mention our tourism sector, which has benefited greatly from the influx of American travelers since restrictions were removed in June,” the Airlines for Europe lobby group said Wednesday. EU rules also specify that the trend of new cases should be stable or decreasing and that no more than 4% of those tested for the virus are positive. The guidelines take into account whether variants of concern have been detected in a particular nation and whether it has reciprocated on opening travel, which the US hasn’t.<br/>
Algeria will increase the number of international flights it allows from Aug. 28, partly to help repatriate Algerians stuck abroad since air travel restrictions were imposed at the start of the pandemic last year. The country began gradually reopening its borders in June although arrivals must comply with strict health measures. State carrier Air Algerie will operate 32 international flights weekly, consisting of departures from and arrivals at three Algerian airports, the transport ministry said. It currently has nine flights arriving each week. The majority of flights, 24, will serve routes to France, where there is a large Algerian diaspora, and there will also be flights to Spain, Italy, Germany, Russia, Turkey and Tunisia. Airlines from those countries will be permitted to operate the same number of flights to and from the North African nation. "As part of reciprocity, (the number of Air Algerie flights) will be doubled by foreign airlines operating in Algeria," the statement said. Air Algerie suspended its international routes in March last year although it later operated some emergency flights.<br/>
Gatwick airport is to press ahead with plans to convert its emergency runway for routine use, in a sign that the aviation industry expects demand to rebound in full soon after the coronavirus pandemic. London’s second biggest airport will launch a public consultation next month on a scheme to enlarge capacity to a potential 75.5m passengers a year – despite still only serving about a quarter of its pre-Covid traffic in August. Gatwick had put investment on hold during the pandemic but is now reviving plans from 2018 to move the centre line of its emergency runway by 12 metres (39ft), far enough from the main runway to be used in parallel for departures. In 2019, Gatwick was the busiest single-runway airport in the world, with about 950 takeoffs and landings a day. The proposals angered campaigners – not least became they came soon after the five-year Airports Commission process had rejected a Gatwick expansion in favour of a runway at Heathrow. Land for a larger runway outside Gatwick’s perimeter remains safeguarded for future development Peter Barclay, the chair of the Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign, said: “The world knows that aviation’s growth has climate consequences that it simply can’t afford and serious adverse impacts on health through noise and air pollution.” Gatwick says the runway is consistent with the government’s advice to maximise existing capacity. The airport claims the scheme would help generate about 18,400 additional jobs by 2038, and boost the local economy by GBP1.5b. <br/>
People across India are taking to the skies after months stuck in their homes during a deadly Covid-19 wave, driving a spike in demand for jet fuel, the oil product hit hardest by the ongoing pandemic. Indians have flocked to tourist spots across the country from the beaches of Goa on the west coast to the mountainous north on planes and in cars after the easing of restrictions. Air travel has climbed sharply, said Subhash Goyal, the chairman of STIC Travel -- one of India’s biggest travel agents -- estimating that domestic flights this month are around 75% of pre-virus levels. That’s translated into the biggest month-on-month increase in jet fuel sales in more than a year, according to preliminary data for the first half of August, although sales are still 45% below the same period in 2019. India is proving to be a bright spot for jet fuel demand after the fast-spreading delta variant of the virus interrupted a recovery in air travel from the US to China. However, the revival might be fleeting with the government warning of a surge in infections as early as October if vaccination rates don’t accelerate. Airlines started to see an increase in demand last month. More than 5 million passengers took domestic flights in July, a 61% jump from June, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. STIC Chairman Goyal is predicting August will be an even better month for air travel across India.<br/>
Booming demand for freighter planes spurred Israel Aerospace Industries to announce a new site for converting passenger jets to cargo use in Abu Dhabi, its second such expansion within a week. IAI will establish two conversion lines for Boeing Co. 777-300ER wide-body planes at a maintenance facility run by Etihad Aviation Group, complementing its own 777 site in Tel Aviv, the companies said Wednesday. Demand for freighters is surging as coronavirus lockdowns accelerate a shift to online shopping at a time when passenger jets are flying less, limiting access to belly space that usually accommodates most airborne cargo. The pandemic has also prompted the retirement of older planes, swelling the supply of models ripe for conversion, including the relatively efficient twin-engine 777. “We’ve seen a sharp increase in demand over the past few years and the 777 is going to be the plane for the future, so this will give us the extra capacity we need,” said Yossi Melamed, IAI executive vice president and general manager for aviation. Melamed said the company sees a market for 150 freighter conversions over the next five years, adding that demand for the 777 should be buoyed by its bigger cargo volume versus Boeing’s own purpose-built 777F, which is based on the smaller -200 passenger variant. The aircraft would be a natural successor to 747 and MD-11 freighters, he said. The agreement with Etihad builds on one signed with the leasing arm of General Electric for 777 conversions in 2019. Work started in Israel on the first plane under that accord earlier this month and will take about 130 days.<br/>