Planners here teamed with planners from the US Transportation Command and the aircrew of a C-5M Super Galaxy to open a new non-stop route from the US to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.

The flight marked the first time a C-5 has flown this route from the United States East Coast, across the Atlantic Ocean, then over Europe into Afghanistan, officials said. The total flight time was less than 14 hours, cutting time off of traditional routing and eliminating the need for crews to rest overnight in Germany. The new route also enhances the ability of air mobility forces to respond worldwide despite challenging environments including volcanoes, floods, natural disasters or weather-related diversions.

“This was a huge collaborative effort,” said Harold Guckin, Chief Planner for the Contingency Channel Operations Directorate.

The success of the flight also required in-flight refuelling over England by a KC-135R Stratotanker from the 100th Air Refuelling Wing at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England.