ARIANA AFGHAN AIRLINES

'Ariana Afghan Airlines' is the national airline carrier of Afghanistan, based in Kabul. The airlines operate domestic and international passenger services. It is wholly owned by the Afghan government and its main base is Kabul International Airport.^[1]
Prior to the listing of the airline in the List of air carriers banned in the EU [1], the carrier maintained service to Frankfurt, Germany [2].

Contents

History

Privatization rumor

Cargo

Destinations

Central Asia & China

Afghanistan

South Asia

Southwest Asia

Europe

Former

Fleet

Incidents and accidents

Banned in the EU

External links

References

History

Ariana Afghan Airlines was established on January 27, 1955. During the 1970s, Ariana was considered a top notch airlines company by many travel experts. At that time, the airline operated equipment such as Douglas DC-10s.
After withdrawal of the Soviet Union in 1989 and collapse of former president Najibulla's communist regime, the Taliban took over Kabul in 1996. Afghanistan faced substantial economic sanctions from the international sector during the Taliban. That, combined the Taliban government's control of the company, including the stoppage of all international flights, affected the company's economic status through most of the 1990s, a period where their fleet was reduced to only a handful of Russian and Ukrainian built An-26s, Yakovlev Yak-40s and three Boeing 727s, which were used on the longest domestic routes. In October 1996, Pakistan provided a temporary maintenance and operational base at Karachi. During this time, Ariana's president was Hafez Younis. In 1999, Ariana flew only to Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; also, limited cargo flights continued into China's western provinces. However, sanctions imposed by UN Security Council Resolution 1267 forced the airline company to suspend overseas operations. In November 2001, the airline was grounded completely.
After the removal of the Taliban government in 2001, following the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack, and subsequent U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, Ariana began to rebuild its operations in December 2001. About a month later, the UN sanctions were finally lifted so the airline could fly again. As a gesture of good-will and step towards creating foreign relations with Afghanistan, the government of India gave the state carrier three Airbus A300s which had been in service with Air India. Ariana resumed flights to international destinations, and its first international passenger flight since 1999 landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, India.

Privatization rumor

The government is in the process of selling 60 to 80% of the company to the private sector. Recently the Ariana management were said to be holding talks with the Emirates Airline in this regard.

Cargo

Ariana Afghan Cargo is the freight branch, they operate a single 727-200C freighter aircraft.

Destinations

As of May 2007, Ariana Afghan Airlines operates scheduled flights to the following destinations:Ariana Afghan Airlines schedule

Central Asia & China

★ Dushanbe - (Dushanbe Airport)

★ Urumqi - (Ürümqi Diwopu International Airport)

Afghanistan

★ Kabul - (Kabul International Airport) 'Hub'

★ Kandahar - (Kandahar International Airport)

South Asia

★ Islamabad - (Islamabad International Airport)

★ New Delhi - (Indira Gandhi International Airport)

Southwest Asia

★ Baku - (Heydar Aliyev International Airport) (refuel stop only)

★ Dubai - (Dubai International Airport)

★ Sharjah (Sharjah International Airport)

★ Tehran - (Imam Khomeini International Airport)

Europe

★ Ankara - (Esenboğa International Airport)

★ Istanbul - (Ataturk International Airport)

★ Moscow - (Sheremetyevo International Airport)

Former

Ariana used to serve Aktyubinsk, Amritsar, Amsterdam, Beirut, Frankfurt, Jeddah, Kuwait, Lahore, London, Munich, Paris, Peshawar, Quetta, Riyadh, Rome, Tashkent, at home they operated to Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif.

Fleet

The Ariana Afghan Airlines fleet includes the following aircraft (at March 2007):

★ 2 Airbus A300B4-200

★ 3 Boeing 727-200

★ 1 Boeing 727-200C (cargo)

★ 2 Boeing 757-200 (on lease)
Ariana have also placed an order for 4 Boeing 737-700, which will be delivered in 2009.^[2]

Incidents and accidents

★ In 1964, a Douglas DC-3 crashed in Herat, killing all 21 passengers on board.

★ In 1969, a Boeing 727 arriving at London Gatwick Airport from Frankfurt International Airport crashed into a house, killing 50 of the 66 persons aboard.

★ In 1985, an Antonov An-26 of Ariana was shot down by rebels near Kandahar, killing all 47 passengers and 5 crew.

★ In 1989, a door opened aboard a 727 in the middle of a flight from Kabul to Zaranj, and six people were killed when the plane crashed onto a hill.

★ In 1992, a Tupolev 154M, carrying the then president of Afghanistan Sibghatullah Mojaddedi, was hit by an RPG as it was on approach to land at Kabul Airport. The plane landed safely, with no fatalities.^{[3] [4]}

★ In 1995, another An-26 crashed, after running out of fuel at Jalalabad, and three passengers died.

★ In 1997, another crash occurred in Jalalabad when a Yakovlev Yak-40 crashed while landing, resulting in two fatalities.

★ On 19 March,1998, a 727 from Kandahar to Kabul crashed after hitting a mountain, resulting in the loss of all 45 on board.

★ In February 2000, to escape a Taliban death squad, nine men, led by brothers Ali Safi and Mohammed Safi, hijacked a Boeing 727 containing more than 180 people. The plane was diverted through Central Asia and Russia before landing at Stansted Airport north of London, where the hijacking ended four days later with a peaceful surrender. The men were convicted in December 2001 of hijacking, false imprisonment and weapons offenses. They each served sentences of between 27 and 30 months, and have since been granted asylum in the UK. It was later found that the hijacking was a drama orchestrated jointly by the hijackers, their families and other passengers in hope of getting asylum.^[5]

★ On 23 March 2007 an Ariana Airbus A300B4 (YA-BAD) after a flight from Kabul via Ankara, landed at Atatürk International Airport, Istanbul, overran the runway and came to a halt resting on its right wing. The weather at the time was poor with rain and gusting winds. The aircraft is being dismantled.^[6]

List of incidents involving Ariana Afghan Airlines^[7]

Date	Aircraft	Location	Fatalities	Description
1964	Douglas DC-3	Herat	21 of 21	Crashed
1969	Boeing 727	London, England	50 of 66	Crashed into a house
1985	Antonov An-26	Kandahar	52 of 52	Shot down by rebels
1989	Boeing 727	Between Kabul and Zaranj	6	Crashed into a hill after a door opened in flight
1995	Antonov An-26	Jalalabad	3	Crashed after running out of fuel
1997	Yakovlev Yak-40	Jalalabad	2	Crashed on landing
13 January 1998	Antonov An-12	Khojak Pass, Pakistan	51 of 51	Crashed after running out of fuel
19 March 1998	Boeing 727-228 YA-FAZ (c/n 22288/1712)	Charasyab	45 of 45	Crashed into Sharki Baratayi mountain while descending for approach to Kabul
October 2001	Boeing 727-113C YA-FAU (c/n 20343/784)	Kabul	0	Destroyed by United States bombing
October 2001	Boeing 727-155C YA-FAW (c/n 19619/470)	Kabul	0	Destroyed by United States bombing
October 2001	Antonov An-12B YA-DAA	Kabul	0	Destroyed by United States bombing
October 2001	Antonov An-12B YA-DAB (c/n 5342801)	Kabul	0	Destroyed by United States bombing
October 2001	Antonov An-24B YA-DAH	Kabul	0	Destroyed by United States bombing
October 2001	Antonov An-24RV YA-DAJ (c/n 47309603)	Kabul	0	Destroyed by United States bombing
October 2001	Antonov An-24B	Kabul	0	Destroyed by United States bombing
March 2007	Airbus A300B4 YA-BAD	Istanbul	0	Damaged beyond repair in landing incident

Banned in the EU

With the exception of one aircraft, the entire Ariana Afghan Airlines fleet is on the list of air carriers banned in the EU (as of July 2006). The rationale for the decision by the European Commission was the following (paraphrased):


★ During ramp inspections performed by German authorities under the SAFA programme evidence of serious safety deficiencies on the part of Ariana Afghan Airlines with regard to a certain aircraft of its fleet came to light (SAFA inspections No LBA-D-2004-269, LBA-D-2004-341, LBA-D-2004-374 and LBA-D-2004-597).

★ Ariana Afghan Airlines has demonstrated a lack of ability to address the safety deficiencies raised.

★ The air carrier in question, Ariana Afghan Airlines, did not respond in an adequate and timely manner to an enquiry by the civil aviation authority of Germany regarding the safety aspects of its operation. This demonstrates a lack of communication.

★ The regulatory authorities of Afghanistan, which have the responsibility for regulatory oversight of Ariana Afghan Airlines, have not exercised an adequate oversight over the aircraft used by this carrier in accordance with the obligations imposed on them under the Chicago Convention.

★ Therefore and on the basis of the common criteriaFly Well portal (Which contains links to the common air transport policy) , ''European Commission'', March 22 2006 the Commission assessed that Ariana Afghan Airlines does not meet the common criteria and therefore should be banned from operating aircraft within the airspace of the Member States of the European Union. There is one exception: an Airbus A310 with registration number F-GYYY is registered in France and therefore subject to the oversight of the French authorities.Commission Regulation (EC) No 474/2006 of 22 March 2006 (PDF-file) , ''European Commission'', March 22 2006

External links

;Official website

★ Ariana Afghan Airlines
;Other websites

★ Ariana Afghan Airlines at the Aviation Safety Network Database

References

1. Directory: World Airlines
2. Boeing order
3. Aviation Safety Net
4. Human Rights Watch report
5. Hijacking in 2000
6. Ariana A300 overruns while landing at Istanbul Ataturk
7. ASN Aviation Safety Database Type Index, ''Aviation Safety Network''