Half-empty deportation flight to Afghanistan highlights ongoing issues for Germany

‘In what has become a regular occurrence in recent months, a deportation flight bound for Kabul, Afghanistan, took off from Germany with less than half of the expected passengers on board.
While 50 people were scheduled to be repatriated, “in fact, only 18 got on the flight,” Interior Ministry spokesman Tobias Plate was quoted as saying by The Local.
“There are always a few who don’t turn up because of different reasons – health reasons, successful applications for urgent rights protection of which there are three cases here… Others go into hiding or seek asylum in churches,” he added.
“That’s why the government has initiated several measures, including for example no longer announcing such flights in advance,” Plate confirmed.’
Read more: Half-empty deportation flight to Afghanistan highlights ongoing issues for Germany