MoD Ends Secret Afghan Evacuation Route as Flight Costs Surpass £6.8m
An independent review found no ongoing risk from the 2022 data breach.
Overview
- The Ministry of Defence confirms an average monthly flight bill of £457,833 under the covert Afghanistan Response Route.
- 4,500 Afghans have been relocated to the UK via the scheme, including 900 principal applicants and 3,600 family members.
- The evacuation operation, launched in April 2024 after a data leak exposed thousands of applicants, was closed this month following the independent review.
- Over £6.8 million has been spent on RAF and IOM-chartered flights, with private contractors withheld for commercial reasons.
- The lifting of the super-injunction has triggered more than 650 compensation claims and revived Taliban threats against those named in the leaked data.