Ariana Afghan Airlines

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Ariana Afghan Airlines
هواپیمایی آریانا
د آريانا افغان هوايي شرکت
IATA
ICAO
Callsign
FG AFG ARIANA
Founded27 January 1955 (1955-01-27)
Parent company
Pashtany Bank
HeadquartersKabul, Afghanistan
Key people
Websitewww.flyariana.com

Ariana Afghan Airlines Co. Ltd. (

Shāre Naw district, Kabul.[6][7] Ariana Afghan Airlines has been on the list of air carriers banned in the European Union since October 2006 (2006-10)
.

History

Early years

Zahir Shah.[8]

The airline was set up on 27 January 1955.

DC-4 operated the Kabul–Kandahar–Tehran–Damascus–Beirut–Ankara–Prague–Frankfurt service, so-called "Marco Polo" route.[11] In the early 1960s, US$1,100,000 (equivalent to $11,000,000 in 2023) from US aid to Afghanistan was used to capitalise the company.[12]

By March 1970 (1970-03), the airline had 650 employees. At this time, the fleet comprised one

Bakhtar Alwatana, which was established by the government in 1967 for this purpose.[14]

Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.[15]

The carrier's first

Tupolev Tu-154Ms;[19] the airline took possession of these aircraft in April 1987 (1987-04).[18] In February 1988 (1988-02), Bakhtar was merged back into Ariana, thus creating an airline which could serve both short and long haul routes.[20][additional citation(s) needed
]

Operational crisis

An Ariana Afghan Airlines Tupolev Tu-154M in 1992.

Following the

UN Security Council Resolution 1267 in November 1999 forced the airline to suspend overseas operations.[22][23] In November 2001 (2001-11), Ariana was grounded completely.[24]

According to the Los Angeles Times:[25]

With the Taliban's blessing, Bin Laden effectively had hijacked Ariana, the national civilian airline of Afghanistan. For four years, according to former U.S. aides and exiled Afghan officials, Ariana's passenger and charter flights ferried Islamic militants, arms, cash and opium through the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan. Members of Bin Laden's Al Qaeda terrorist network were provided false Ariana identification that gave them free run of airports in the Middle East.

According to people interviewed by the Los Angeles Times, Viktor Bout's companies helped in running the airline.[26]

21st century

Istanbul Atatürk Airport in March 2007 (2007-03).[27][28]

Following the overthrow of the Taliban government during Operation Enduring Freedom, Ariana began to rebuild its operations in December 2001 (2001-12).[29][30] About a month later, the UN sanctions were finally lifted, permitting the airline to resume international routes again.[31] In 2002, the government of India gave the carrier a gift of three ex-Air India Airbus A300s.[23][32][33] Ariana's first international passenger flight since 1999 landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport in January 2002 (2002-01),[34] followed by routes to Pakistan and Germany in June and October the same year, respectively.[35][36][37] In 2005, India signed an agreement on aviation cooperation with Afghanistan, with Air India training 50 officials for Ariana.[38]

EU ban

Due to safety regulations, Ariana was mostly banned from flying into European Union airspace in March 2006 (2006-03), with the European Commission allowing the carrier to fly only a single France-registered Airbus A310 into the member states;[39][40] the ban was extended to the entire fleet in October of that year.[41] The ban was confirmed in subsequent updates of the list released in late 2009 and March 2010 (2010-03).[42][43] In November 2010 (2010-11), all Afghanistan-registered aircraft were banned from operating in the European Union.[44][45] Ariana is still included in the list as of May 2024.[46]

Taliban takeover

All commercial flights were cancelled following the Taliban taking over the capital city of Kabul in 2021.[47] Domestic flights resumed in September.[48]

Destinations

As of September 2023, Ariana Afghan Airlines served five domestic and eight international destinations in Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, India, Pakistan, and China; most of the routes radiate from Kabul.[49]

Fleet

Airbus A310-300
Boeing 727-200 Advanced
Boeing 737-800

Current fleet

As of July 2023 the Ariana Afghan Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft:[50]

Ariana Afghan Airlines fleet
Aircraft In fleet Orders Passengers[citation needed] Notes
C Y Total
Airbus A310-300
 3 — 12 230 230
Boeing 737-400 2 — 8 134 142
Boeing 737-500 1 — 8 148 156
Total 6 —

Historical fleet

Ariana operated the following equipment all through its history:[51]

Accidents and incidents

According to

written off 19 aircraft involved in 13 events, seven of them being deadly. Casualties totaled 154 deaths.[54]
The following list includes occurrences that led to at least one fatality, resulted in a write-off of the aircraft involved, or both.

Date Location Aircraft Tail number Aircraft damage Fatalities Description Refs
2 November 1959  Greece
Douglas C-47A
 		YA-AAD
W/O
 Un­known Un­known [55]
21 November 1959 Lebanon Off Beirut DC-4 YA-BAG W/O 24/27 Crashed shortly after takeoff from Beirut International Airport, during initial climbout. The aircraft was due to operate the second leg of an international scheduled Frankfurt–Beirut–Tehran–Kandahar–Kabul passenger service as Flight 202. [56]
5 January 1969 United Kingdom London
Boeing 727-100C
 YA-FAR W/O 50 Crashed on approach to
glideslope. Forty-eight people were killed on the plane, as well as two on the ground. The aircraft was completing an international scheduled Kabul–Kandahar–Beirut–Istanbul–Frankfurt–London passenger service as Flight 701
. 		[57]
15 January 1969 Afghanistan Kabul Douglas C-47DL YA-BAD W/O Un­known Ground collision. [58]
10 December 1988  Pakistan An-26 Un­known W/O 25/25 The aircraft was shot down by Pakistani fighters when it was flying a domestic Khost–Kabul passenger service. [59]
18 June 1989 Iran Zabol An-26 YA-BAK W/O 6/39
Crashed into a hill when attempting to land at Zabol Airport following an in-flight opening of the ramp door. The aircraft was operating a domestic scheduled Kabul–Zaranj
passenger service. 		[60]
1 August 1992 Islamic State of Afghanistan Kabul
Tu-154M
 YA-TAP W/O 0/0 Destroyed by a rocket while sitting at Kabul Airport. [61]
28 August 1992 Islamic State of Afghanistan Kabul An-26 YA-BAN W/O Un­known [62]
11 September 1995 Islamic State of Afghanistan Jalalabad
An-26B
 		YA-BAO W/O 3/46 The aircraft was completing a domestic scheduled Kabul–Jalalabad passenger service when it apparently
ran out of fuel, crashing on approach to Jalalabad Airport
. 		[63]
29 October 1997 Jalalabad Yak-40 YA-KAE W/O 1 Crashed on landing at Jalalabad Airport. [64]
19 March 1998 Afghanistan Charasyab
Boeing 727-200
 		YA-FAZ W/O 45/45
Kabul Airport. It was completing the last leg of an international non-scheduled Sharjah–Kabul–Kandahar
passenger service. 		[65][66]
October 2001 Afghanistan Kabul
An-12B
 YA-DAA W/O 0/0 Destroyed during a U.S. bombing raid. [67]
An-12BK
 YA-DAB W/O 0/0 [68]
An-24 Un­known W/O 0/0 [69]
An-24B
 YA-DAH W/O 0/0 [70]
An-24RV
 YA-DAJ W/O 0/0 [71]
Boeing 727-100C YA-FAU W/O 0/0 [72]
Boeing 727-100C YA-FAW W/O 0/0 [73]
23 March 2007 Turkey Istanbul
A300B4-200
 		YA-BAD W/O 0 Overran the runway on landing at
Istanbul Atatürk Airport
. 		[27][28][74]
8 May 2014 Afghanistan Kabul
Boeing 737-4Y0
 		YA-PIB W/O 0 Slid off the runway on landing at
Kabul Airport
. 		[75]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Reward Club Card". Ariana Afghan Airlines. Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Board of Management". Ariana Afghan Airlines. Archived from the original on 5 January 2022. 
  3. ^ "EU To Impose Ban On Afghan Planes". Airwise News. 22 November 2010. Archived from the original on 24 May 2013. Kabul-based Safi is the country's No. 2 airline after national carrier Ariana Afghan Airlines.
  4. ^ "Piloting Afghanistan to a prosperous future". BBC News. 9 February 2008. Archived from the original on 13 February 2008.
  5. ^ De Luce, Dan; Kube, Courtney (8 June 2022). "Biden admin relies on Taliban-controlled airline to help Afghans flee Afghanistan". NBC News. Retrieved 17 March 2023. the Biden administration indirectly purchases plane tickets in bulk from Ariana Afghan Airlines, the country's state-owned airline
  6. ^ "Contact Us." (Archive) Ariana Afghan Airlines. Retrieved on 30 April 2013. "Ariana Afghan Airlines (Corporate Headquarters) Char-Rahi Shaheed, Shahr-e-Naw, P.O.Box # 76, Kabul, Afghanistan"
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  13. ^ a b "World airlines 1970 – Ariana Afghan Airlines Co Ltd". Flight International. 97 (3184). 26 March 1970. Archived from the original on 11 December 2013.
  14. ^ a b "World airline directory – Bakhtar Afghan Airlines". Flight International: 54. 26 March 1988. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014.
  15. ^ a b "USSR forced Ariana DC-10 sale". Flight International: 5. 27 April 1985. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  16. ^ a b "Air transport". Flight International: 1262. 20 October 1979. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Ariana Afghan Airlines took delivery of its first widebodied airliner, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30, on October 5.
  17. ^ "World airline directory – Ariana Afghan Airlines". Flight International: 55. 30 March 1985. Archived from the original on 11 November 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  18. ^ a b "Market place". Flight International: 5. 23 May 1987. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Afghanistan has bought two Tupolev Tu-154Ms to replace the McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30s sold in the West after Soviet pressure. Bakhtar Afghan Airlines president Muhammad Fedawi and chief pilot Salaam Nadran took delivery of the aircraft in late April. Bakhtar absorbed Ariana two years ago, and is now the sole Afghan carrier.
  19. ^ "Market place". Flight International: 6. 24 May 1986. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Bakhtar Airlines, the Afghani flag carrier, has ordered two Tupolev Tu-154s. The carrier has also just taken delivery of two new Antonov An-26 aircraft which will be put into operation soon. Bakhtar currently flies two Boeing 727s, two An-26s, and two An-24s, two Yak-40s and a Twin Otter on 19 domestic and six international routes.
  20. ^ "World airline directory – Ariana Afghan Airlines". Flight International: 58. 1 April 1989. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013.
  21. ^ Crossette, Barbara (7 October 1999). "U.S. Presses Security Council for Sanctions Against the Taliban". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2012. The Afghan airline, Ariana, flies only to the United Arab Emirates; India and Saudi Arabia have stopped flights. Taliban officials say they have no overseas assets.
  22. ^ "Ariana: Flying in the face of adversity". BBC News. 6 February 2000. Archived from the original on 26 August 2021.
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External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ariana_Afghan_Airlines&oldid=1226907820"