Airline Woes Delay Some Troop Returns

The delay, caused by "unexpected problems in the airline industry," could last for days, military officials said.

It also could affect the remainder of the 1,400 S.C. National Guard members scheduled to leave Afghanistan as the 218th Brigade Combat Team completes its yearlong tour of duty. Plans called for all but a handful of the 218th's troops to be home around the middle of May.

"The South Carolina National Guard is . . . doing everything within our power to get these Soldiers home as soon as possible," said Col. Pete Brooks of the S.C. National Guard. "We want to get them home from Kuwait as badly as they want to get home."

Over the weekend, the S.C. troops flew on a U.S. Air Force plane from Kabul in Afghanistan to Kuwait. From there, they were to take a charter flight to Fort Bragg, N.C.

The hang-up was caused by a perfect storm of too many troops trying to move and too few airplanes to carry them, officials said. They cited three problems:

-The shutdown of ATA Airlines, which the military had hired to ferry troops between U.S. and overseas bases.

ATA ceased operations April 3 after filing for bankruptcy reorganization. The Indianapolis-based airline had been contracted to fly 70 military charters through September, according to Air Force Times, a daily newspaper that is not affiliated with the U.S. military.

-FAA-ordered inspections of aircraft belonging to major U.S. airlines. Those airlines, which have had to cancel thousands of flights, often are called on to transport troops.

-As the S.C. troops are moving out of Afghanistan, about 10,400 Marines from Camp Lejeune, N.C., and Soldiers from the Army's 101st Airborne Division are arriving in Afghanistan.

Also, leaving Afghanistan at the same time as the 218th are 7,000 Soldiers in the 82nd Airborne Division, based at Fort Bragg, N.C.

"Incoming and outgoing troop movements have been impacted," said a military spokesman.

Brig. Gen. Bob Livingston, commander of the 218th, said the flights home have been scheduled since late February.

"We could not predict the problem," said Livingston, a Columbia business owner in civilian life. "I know how frustrating this situation is for Soldiers and families alike."

For the time being, the S.C. troops caught in transit will be staying at a camp near a U.S. air base in Kuwait.

The first planeload of S.C. troops returned to the United States earlier this month.

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