Germany’s Federal Government has reinstated the entry of Afghans into the country, following a charter flight that landed at Berlin’s Hauptstadtflughafen earlier this morning, according to the German newspaper Welt. On board the plane were 155 Afghans who have received an acceptance notice from the Federal Government and are eligible to enter the country through various integration programs.
Germany has taken in over 48,000 Afghans since the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban in August 2021, with nearly 36,000 of those individuals deemed “particularly endangered” by the Federal Government. The costs of the operation have so far totaled several hundred million euros, a significantly higher sum than the previously reported two-digit million range.
Prior to the federal election, the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) had cancelled two charter flights at short notice, citing logistical issues as the official reason.
Charter flights carrying Afghans to Germany had previously operated at a rate of roughly once a month, with the last flight departing in late January. Approximately 3,000 Afghans with acceptance notices are still waiting in Islamabad for their evacuation to the Federal Republic of Germany. Their situation is precarious, as Germany has promised to fly them out, often with family members having sold their belongings in Afghanistan. In Pakistan, where security talks are taking place and charter flights are departing, they have only a three-month visa. The procedures preceding their departure reportedly take significantly longer, according to the Welt.