Kazakhstan Airlines

Not to be confused withAir Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan Airlineswas an airline fromKazakhstan,serving as nationalflag carrierof the country from its independence in 1991 until 1996. Following the disaster of theCharkhi Dadri mid-air collision,Kazakhstan Airlines ceased operations, and its role as flag carrier was transferred toAir Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan Airlines

IATA ICAO Call sign KZ KZA KAZAKH
Founded	1991
Commenced operations	1992
Ceased operations	1996
Hubs	Almaty International Airport
Destinations	80
Headquarters	Almaty,Kazakhstan

History

ABoeing 747SPof Kazakhstan Airlines approachingFrankfurt Airport(1994).

Following theDissolution of the Soviet Unionin 1991, the Kazakh division of the state-owned airline,Aeroflot,was transformed intoKazakhstan Airlines,with scheduled flights from its hub atAlmaty International Airportbeing launched in 1992. In 1996, 4 years after Kazakhstan Airlines was started, their sales plummeted. This was because one of Kazakhstan airlines’ pilots caused the deadliest mid-air collision where no one survived.

Fleet

A Kazakhstan AirlinesTupolev Tu-154atZurich Airport(1994).

Kazakhstan Airlines inherited a fleet of the following aircraft types:

• Antonov An-24
• Antonov An-26
• Antonov An-30
• Boeing 747SP
• Boeing 757-200
• Ilyushin Il-18
• Ilyushin Il-76
• Ilyushin Il-86
• Tupolev Tu-134
• Tupolev Tu-154
• Yakovlev Yak-40
• Yakovlev Yak-42

Accidents and incidents

A Kazakhstan AirlinesIlyushin Il-76in 1994. This aircraft was later destroyed in theCharkhi Dadri mid-air collision.

Kazakhstan Airlines was involved in theCharkhi Dadri mid-air collision,which occurred on 12 November 1996 and—with its 349 fatalities—marks one of the deadliest air disasters in history. A Kazakhstan AirlinesIlyushin Il-76,operating as Flight 1907, collided with aBoeing 747-100BofSaudi Arabian Airlines.Investigation into the accident revealed that the pilots of Flight 1907 had descended from their assigned altitude, which was attributed to poor training and non-sufficient English language skills. As a consequence, the government of Kazakhstan declared that Kazakhstan Airlines was bankrupt, transferring its assets to newly foundedAir Kazakhstan.

There were another four accidents resulting in an aircraft of Kazakhstan Airlines being written-off, none of which resulted in any reported fatalities:

• On 16 January 1993, anAntonov An-24(registered UN-46478) with nineteen passengers and four crew crash-landed atKostanay Airport.During approach of the airport, the left wing engine failed. The pilots did not manage to properly align the aircraft with the runway and failed to execute ago-around,resulting in the aircraft hitting the ground 162 meters short of the runway threshold.
• On 21 January 1995, aTupolev Tu-154(registered UN-85455) overshot the runway during a take-off attempt atKarachi International Airport.There were 105 passengers and five crew members on board, and the aircraft had an overload of six tons.
• A few months later, on 13 April 1995, aYakovlev Yak-40(registered UN-88181) veered off the runway atTaraz Airportduring acrosswind landing.The aircraft with 28 passengers and 3 crew on board struck a concrete barrier.
• Still in 1995, on 1 November, anAntonov An-24(registered UN-47710) crash landed on a field 1100 meters short of the runway threshold ofShymkent Airportin a failed landing attempt. The aircraft had been on a training flight with four crew on board.

See also

• List of defunct airlines of Kazakhstan