Wikipedia

Ariana Afghan Airlines

Ariana Afghan Airlines Co. Ltd.(Pashto:د آريانا افغان هوايي شرکت) also known simply asAriana,is theflag carrierand largest airline ofAfghanistan.[3][4]Founded in 1955, Ariana isstate ownedand the oldest airline in the country.[5]The company has its main base atKabul International Airport,from which it operates domestic flights and international connections to destinations inChina,India,Pakistan,Russia,Saudi Arabia,Turkey,and theUnited Arab Emirates.Thecarrieris headquartered inShāre Nawdistrict,Kabul.[6][7]Ariana Afghan Airlines has been on thelist of air carriers banned in the European Unionsince October 2006(2006-10).

Ariana Afghan Airlines
د آريانا افغان هوايي شرکت
IATA ICAO Call sign
FG AFG ARIANA
Founded27 January 1955(1955-01-27)
HubsKabul International Airport
Secondary hubsKandahar International Airport
Frequent-flyer programReward Club[1]
Fleet size6
Destinations13
Parent companyPashtany Bank
HeadquartersKabul,Afghanistan
Key people
Websiteflyariana

History

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Early years

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Postage stamp of Afghanistan from 1965 commemorating the 10th anniversary of Ariana. The logo features an Afghanswallowbird and a blue field representing preciouslapis lazulistones; it was personally designed by the then King of Afghanistan,Zahir Shah.[8]

The airline was set up on 27 January 1955.[9]It was established asAryana Airlineswith the assistance ofIndamer Co. Ltd.,which initially held a 49% stake, and the government of Afghanistan owned the balance.[10]At the beginning, services were operated toBahrain,India,Iran,andLebanon,with a fleet of threeDouglas DC-3s.[10]In 1957,Pan American World Airwaysbecame the minor shareholder of the airline when it took over the 49% interest from Indamer.[11]Domestic scheduled services started the same year.[11]By April 1960(1960-04),a fleet of threeDC-3swas being used for linking Kabul withAmritsar,Delhi,Jeddah,andKarachi,as well as with some points within Afghanistan, while a singleDC-4operated the Kabul–Kandahar–Tehran–Damascus–Beirut–Ankara–Prague–Frankfurtservice, the so-called "Marco Polo" route.[11]In the early 1960s,US$1,100,000(equivalent to $12,000,000 in 2024) fromUSaid 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 oneBoeing 727-100C,oneCV-440,one DC-3 and two Douglas DC-6s that worked on routes serving theMiddle East,India,Pakistan,theUSSR,andIstanbul,Frankfurt, andLondon.[13]Domestic services were then operated byBakhtar Alwatana,which was established by the government in 1967 for this purpose.[14]

An Ariana Afghan AirlinesDC-10-30on approach toLondon Heathrow Airportin 1980. Throughout its history, the airline operated a single aircraft of the type that was sold in the mid-1980s, following theSoviet invasion of Afghanistan.[15]

The carrier's firstwidebody aircraft,aMcDonnell Douglas DC-10-30,entered the fleet in early October 1979(1979-10).[16]By March 1985(1985-03),the aircraft fleet consisted of the DC-10 and twoBoeing 727-100Cs.[17]In the mid-1980s, during theSoviet–Afghan War,the carrier was forced to sell the DC-10 toBritish Caledonian,as theSovietswanted the carrier to fly theTupolev Tu-154as a replacement.[15]In October 1985(1985-10),Ariana was taken over byBakhtar Afghan Airlines,which became the country's newnational airline.[14][18]In 1986,Bakhtarordered twoTupolev Tu-154Ms;[19]the airline took possession of these aircraft in April 1987(1987-04).[18]In February 1988(1988-02),Bakhtarwas merged back intoAriana,thus creating an airline which could serve both short and long haul routes.[20][additional citation(s) needed]

Operational crisis

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An Ariana Afghan AirlinesTupolev Tu-154Min 1992.

Following thefall of Kabul to the Talibanin 1996 and the proclamation of theIslamic Emirate of Afghanistan,the country faced substantial economic sanctions from the international sector during the Taliban regime. The sanctions, along with the Taliban government's control of the company and the grounding of many of the carrier's international flights, had a devastating effect on the economic health of the company through the 1990s. The fleet was reduced to only a handful of Russian and Ukrainian builtAn-26s,Yakovlev Yak-40sand threeBoeing 727s,which were used on the longest domestic routes. In October 1996,Pakistanprovided a temporary maintenance and operational base atKarachi.With no overseas assets, by 1999 Ariana's international operations consisted of flights toDubaionly;[21]also, limited cargo flights continued intoChina's western provinces. However, sanctions imposed byUN Security Council Resolution 1267in November 1999 forced the airline to suspend overseas operations.[22][23]In November 2001(2001-11),Ariana was grounded completely.[24]

According to theLos 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 theLos Angeles Times,Viktor Bout's companies helped in running the airline.[26]

21st century

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An Ariana Afghan AirlinesAirbus A300B4-200seen on approach toFrankfurt Airportin 2003. WithregistrationYA-BAD this aircraft waswritten offas a result of an overrun episode atIstanbul Atatürk Airportin March 2007(2007-03).[27][28]

Following the overthrow of the Taliban government duringOperation 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, thegovernment of Indiagave the carrier a gift of three ex-Air IndiaAirbus A300s.[23][32][33]Ariana's first international passenger flight since 1999 landed atIndira Gandhi International Airportin 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,Indiasigned an agreement on aviation cooperation with Afghanistan, with Air India training 50 officials for Ariana.[38]

EU ban

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Due to safety regulations, Ariana was mostly banned from flying intoEuropean Unionairspace in March 2006(2006-03),with theEuropean Commissionallowing the carrier to fly only a singleFrance-registeredAirbus A310into 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 December 2024.[46]

Taliban takeover

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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

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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

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Ariana Afghan AirlinesAirbus A310-300
Former Ariana Afghan AirlinesBoeing 727-200 Advanced
Former Ariana Afghan AirlinesBoeing 737-800

Current fleet

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As of July 2023the 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

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

Accidents and incidents

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According toAviation Safety Network,as of October 2012Ariana Afghan Airlines haswritten off19 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 OffBeirut DC-4 YA-BAG W/O 24/27 Crashed shortly aftertakeofffromBeirut International Airport,during initial climbout. The aircraft was due to operate the second leg of an international scheduledFrankfurt–Beirut–Tehran–Kandahar–Kabulpassenger service asFlight 202. [56]
5 January 1969 London Boeing 727-100C YA-FAR W/O 50 Crashed on approach toLondon Gatwick Airportwhen attempting to land in dense fog as it descended below theglideslope.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 asFlight 701. [57]
15 January 1969 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 byPakistanifighters when it was flying a domesticKhost–Kabul passenger service. [59]
18 June 1989 Zabol An-26 YA-BAK W/O 6/39 Crashedinto a hill when attempting to land atZabol Airportfollowing an in-flight opening of the ramp door. The aircraft was operating a domestic scheduled Kabul–Zaranjpassenger service. [60]
1 August 1992 Kabul Tu-154M YA-TAP W/O 0/0 Destroyed by a rocket while sitting at Kabul Airport. [61]
28 August 1992 Kabul An-26 YA-BAN W/O Un­known [62]
11 September 1995 Jalalabad An-26B YA-BAO W/O 3/46 The aircraft was completing a domestic scheduled Kabul–Jalalabad passenger service when it apparentlyran out of fuel,crashing on approach toJalalabad Airport. [63]
29 October 1997 Jalalabad Yak-40 YA-KAE W/O 1 Crashed on landing at Jalalabad Airport. [64]
19 March 1998 Charasyab Boeing 727-200 YA-FAZ W/O 45/45 Crashedin bad weather into mountainous terrain on approach toKabul Airport.It was completing the last leg of an international non-scheduledSharjah–Kabul–Kandaharpassenger service. [65][66]
October 2001 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 Istanbul A300B4-200 YA-BAD W/O 0 Overran the runway on landing atIstanbul Atatürk Airport. [27][28][74]
8 May 2014 Kabul Boeing 737-4Y0 YA-PIB W/O 0 Slid off the runway on landing atKabul Airport. [75]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Reward Club Card".Ariana Afghan Airlines.Archived fromthe originalon 17 March 2012.Retrieved16 April2012.
  2. ^ab"Board of Management".Ariana Afghan Airlines. Archived fromthe originalon 5 January 2022.
  3. ^"EU To Impose Ban On Afghan Planes".Airwise News. 22 November 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 24 May 2013.Kabul-basedSafiis 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 fromthe originalon 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.Retrieved17 March2023.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"
  7. ^"Contact Us – Our Offices".Ariana Afghan Airlines.Archived fromthe originalon 25 March 2012.Retrieved16 April2012."P.O. Box 76, Kabul, Afghanistan"
  8. ^"History".
  9. ^"Addendum – Ariana Afghan Airlines".Flight International:107. 1 April 2002.Archivedfrom the original on 7 April 2014.Retrieved10 October2012.
  10. ^ab"World airline directory – Aryana Airlines Co., Ltd".Flight:597. 3 May 1957.Archivedfrom the original on 7 April 2014.
  11. ^abc"Airlines of the world – Ariana Afghan Airlines Co Ltd".Flight:493. 8 April 1960.Archivedfrom the original on 14 November 2012.
  12. ^"Brevities".Flight:27. 1 July 1960.Archivedfrom the original on 7 April 2014.US sources say that of about £1.7 million US aid to Afghanistan, £1.1 million went into the airline.
  13. ^ab"World airlines 1970 – Ariana Afghan Airlines Co Ltd".Flight International.97(3184). 26 March 1970.Archivedfrom the original on 11 December 2013.
  14. ^ab"World airline directory – Bakhtar Afghan Airlines".Flight International:54. 26 March 1988.Archivedfrom the original on 7 April 2014.
  15. ^ab"USSR forced Ariana DC-10 sale".Flight International:5. 27 April 1985.Archivedfrom the original on 7 April 2014.
  16. ^ab"Air transport".Flight International:1262. 20 October 1979.Archivedfrom 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.Archivedfrom the original on 11 November 2012.Retrieved18 August2012.
  18. ^ab"Market place".Flight International:5. 23 May 1987.Archivedfrom 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.Archivedfrom 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 fromthe originalon 27 September 2013.
  21. ^Crossette, Barbara (7 October 1999)."U.S. Presses Security Council for Sanctions Against the Taliban".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 27 May 2015.Retrieved6 September2012.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 fromthe originalon 26 August 2021.
  23. ^ab"India offers planes to Afghan airline".BBC News.9 May 2002.Archivedfrom the original on 26 August 2021.
  24. ^Clark, Kate(8 November 2001)."Afghan airline grounded".BBC News.Archivedfrom the original on 6 March 2016.
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  26. ^"On the Trail of a Man Behind Taliban's Air Fleet".Los Angeles Times.19 May 2002.Archivedfrom the original on 11 August 2014.
  27. ^ab"Ariana A300 overruns while landing at Istanbul Ataturk".Flightglobal.Flight International.3 April 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 22 October 2016.
  28. ^ab"Pictures: Ariana A300 skids off Istanbul runway".Flightglobal.23 March 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 5 March 2016.Retrieved20 August2012.
  29. ^George, Marcus (12 December 2001)."Afghan airline battles for the skies".BBC News.Archivedfrom the original on 8 February 2016.
  30. ^Johnston, Alan (4 December 2001)."Afghan airline returns to the skies".BBC News.Archivedfrom the original on 8 February 2016.
  31. ^"Expansion under way as Ariana takes A300".Flightglobal.Flight International.20 August 2002.Archivedfrom the original on 6 March 2016.
  32. ^"India gifts third airbus to Afghanistan".The Times of India.PTI.7 March 2003.Archivedfrom the original on 3 January 2013.
  33. ^Ionides, Nicholas (23 July 2002)."Ariana set to take delivery of first Indian A300".Singapore:Flightglobal.Flight International.Archivedfrom the original on 6 March 2016.
  34. ^"Ariana resumes operations with New Delhi flight".The Times of India.PTI.24 January 2002.Archivedfrom the original on 3 January 2013.
  35. ^"Ariana Afghan back on Western Europe route".Flightglobal.Flight International.1 October 2002.Archivedfrom the original on 6 March 2016.
  36. ^"Routes".Flightglobal.Flight International.24 September 2002.Archivedfrom the original on 6 March 2016.Retrieved6 September2012.Ariana Afghan Airlines has resumed services between Kabul and Frankfurt, via Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates and Istanbul, after a break of 20 years. It has also selected Sharjah as its hub for Middle Eastern and European operations.
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  38. ^"Painted Black: a study of the EU unsafe airlines ban".Flightglobal.London.Flight International.6 April 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 6 April 2012.
  39. ^Straus, Brian (23 March 2006)."Africa bears brunt of European Union blacklist".Air Transport World.Archivedfrom the original on 15 February 2013.
  40. ^Buyck, Cathy (13 October 2006)."EC updates blacklist".Air Transport World.Archived fromthe originalon 15 February 2013.
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  43. ^Buyck, Cathy (24 October 2010)."New airlines added to EU blacklist".Air Transport World.Archivedfrom the original on 27 January 2011.
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  45. ^"The EU Air Safety List"(PDF).European Commission. 13 December 2024. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 7 January 2025.
  46. ^Rasheed, Zaheena; Varshalomidze, Tamila; Gadzo, Mersiha (16 August 2021)."Kabul airport becomes 'crisis point' as Afghans try to flee".Al Jazeera.Retrieved16 August2021.
  47. ^"Kabul airport reopens to receive aid, domestic flights restart".Reuters.4 September 2021. Archived fromthe originalon 20 September 2021.
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  52. ^"Ariana Afghan Airlines - Fleet".Ariana Afghan Airlines - Fleet.Archivedfrom the original on 29 July 2014.
  53. ^"Ariana Afghan Airlines accident record".Aviation Safety Network.Archivedfrom the original on 2 November 2012.Retrieved22 October2012.
  54. ^Accident description for YA-AADat theAviation Safety Network.Retrieved on 24 August 2012.
  55. ^Accident description for YA-BAGat theAviation Safety Network.Retrieved on 24 August 2012.
  56. ^Accident description for YA-FARat theAviation Safety Network.Retrieved on 3 October 2012.
  57. ^Accident description for YA-AABat theAviation Safety Network.Retrieved on 10 October 2012.
  58. ^Accident descriptionat theAviation Safety Network.Retrieved on 28 August 2012.
  59. ^Accident description for YA-BAKat theAviation Safety Network.Retrieved on 28 August 2012.
  60. ^Accident description for YA-TAPat theAviation Safety Network.Retrieved on 28 August 2012.
  61. ^Accident description for YA-BANat theAviation Safety Network.Retrieved on 27 September 2012.
  62. ^Accident description for YA-KAEat theAviation Safety Network.Retrieved on 27 September 2012.
  63. ^Accident description for YA-KAEat theAviation Safety Network.Retrieved on 27 August 2012.
  64. ^Accident description for YA-FAZat theAviation Safety Network.Retrieved on 27 August 2012.
  65. ^"Ariana Afghan crash".Flightglobal.Flight International.1 April 1998. Archived fromthe originalon 11 August 2014.
  66. ^Accident description for YA-DAAat theAviation Safety Network.Retrieved on 24 August 2012.
  67. ^Accident description for YA-DABat theAviation Safety Network.Retrieved on 24 August 2012.
  68. ^Accident descriptionat theAviation Safety Network.Retrieved on 24 August 2012.
  69. ^Accident description for YA-DAHat theAviation Safety Network.Retrieved on 24 August 2012.
  70. ^Accident description for YA-DAJat theAviation Safety Network.Retrieved on 24 August 2012.
  71. ^Accident description for YA-FAUat theAviation Safety Network.Retrieved on 24 August 2012.
  72. ^Accident description for YA-FAWat theAviation Safety Network.Retrieved on 24 August 2012.
  73. ^Accident description for YA-BADat theAviation Safety Network.Retrieved on 24 August 2012.
  74. ^Accident description for YA-PIDat theAviation Safety Network.Retrieved on 8 May 2014.
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