500,000th passenger
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Army Pvt. Griselda Hernandez is the 500,000th passenger here at the passenger terminal Dec. 9, 2011. This year, the Bagram Passenger Terminal exceeded last year's numbers by 4,850 passengers.
The passenger services division of the 455th Expeditionary Aerial Port Squadron held a small celebration to commemorate the landmark and exceeding the squadron’s previous year’s total by nearly 5,000 passengers. But, the year was not over yet. Capt. Franklin Rinaca, 455 EAPS officer in charge, predicted the year-end numbers to total above 535,000. This mission supported the fight by ensuring troops enter and exit the region efficiently and expeditiously. “We are the busiest aerial port in DoD,” said Capt. Rinaca. “This is in terms of missions, passengers, and cargo moved.” The statistical data was captured using passenger manifests. The 24-hour operation pushed out 109 missions a day, moving nearly 1,500 passengers. The passenger services mission supports all services to include coalition forces, DoD civilians, DoD contractors, military working dogs, detainees, and media.
(U.S. Air Force photo/ Senior Airman Krista Rose)