Charter Flights Carry Thousands Out of Egypt

Thousands of people have evacuated Egypt via private and government charter flights amid the country's severe political unrest.

UK-based charter broker Air Partner evacuated 800 people in 36 hours to safe havens such as Kuwait, Dubai, London and Morocco. Many passengers then continued to their final destinations via commercial flights. Aircraft involved in the operation ranged from private jets to commercial airliners such as Boeing 737s and a 220-seat Airbus A310.

The U.S. embassy said it expected to evacuate more than 1,000 government personnel and other Americans from Egypt. The State Department issued a mandatory evacuation order Tuesday for non-emergency government staff. Other Americans wishing to leave Egypt will also be accommodated. At least two U.S. chartered airplanes have either taken off or are nearing departure, and other flights are planned, according to U.S. embassy officials.