Hoping Nowzad Animal Rescue in Kabul is okay...

[Catherine]

This article may be more of the same, but it is listed as more recent on my news feed.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/a...from-kabul

I am not making sense of what the government minister is saying. 
The Nowzad rescue plane would transport the animals in the hold of the plane. The rescue staff, who are very vulnerable, would travel in the body of the plane.
The rest of the plane would be filled with people who are waiting at the airport.  I can't see a downside to this rescue. People who are waiting will not object to taking a flight that has animals in the hold. They will just be glad to get on any plane.

I did see a picture of a transport plane full of people and a large car. If they had left the car behind they could have put many more people on the plane.