Ariana Afghan Airlines
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| Ariana Afghan Airlines | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| IATA FG |
ICAO AFG |
Callsign ARIANA |
| Founded | 1955 | |
| Hubs | Kabul International Airport | |
| Fleet size | 8 (+4 orders) | |
| Destinations | 12 | |
| Headquarters | Kabul, Afghanistan | |
| Key people | ||
| Website: http://www.flyariana.com | ||
Ariana Afghan Airlines Co. Ltd. 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]
The airline is on the list of air carriers banned in the European Union, with the exception of one plane registered in France; the airline maintains service to Germany via a leased Airbus A321.
Contents |
[edit] History
Ariana Afghan Airlines was established on January 27, 1955. During the 1970s, Ariana was considered a top notch airline company by many travel experts.[citation needed] 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 government, the Taliban took over Kabul in 1996. Afghanistan 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 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. By 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.
Following the removal of the Taliban by NATO and Afghan Northern Alliance forces in the wake of the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks, Ariana began to rebuild its operations in December 2001. About a month later, the UN sanctions were finally lifted, permitting the airline to fly again. As a gesture of good-will and a step towards developing foreign relations with Afghanistan, the government of India gave the state carrier three ex-Air India Airbus A300s. Ariana resumed flights to international destinations, and its first international passenger flight since 1999 landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, India.
[edit] Destinations
[edit] Cargo
Ariana Afghan Cargo is the freight branch, they operate a single 727-200C freighter aircraft to various points in their network.
[edit] Fleet
The Ariana Afghan Airlines fleet includes the following aircraft (at January 2008):[1]
- 2 Airbus A300B4-200
- 1 Airbus A321-100 (on lease from Bestair)
- 1 Antonov An-24
- 3 Boeing 727-200
- 1 Boeing 727-200C (Cargo Freighter)
[edit] Orders
- 4 Boeing 737-700 (delivery in 2009)[2]
[edit] Former fleet
Ariana fleet was composed of the following aircraft between the 1970s and 1990s, Antonovs were part of it till 2005:
- Boeing 707-320
- Boeing 720B
- Boeing 727-100C (cargo freighter)
- Boeing 757-200
- McDonnell Douglas DC 10-30
- Tupolev Tu-134
- Tupolev Tu-154
They also operated three Airbus A310-300 briefly between 2003 and 2006.
[edit] 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]
| 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 |
[edit] 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 criteria[8] 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.[9]
Ariana maintains service to Germany as it is using a leased A321.
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Other websites
- Ariana Afghan Airlines at the Aviation Safety Network Database
- Piloting Afghanistan to a prosperous future
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Directory: World Airlines", Flight International, 2007-03-27, p. 77.
- ^ Boeing order
- ^ Aviation Safety Net
- ^ Human Rights Watch report
- ^ Hijacking in 2000
- ^ "Ariana A300 overruns while landing at Istanbul Ataturk", Flight International, 2007-04-03, p. 10.
- ^ ASN Aviation Safety Database Type Index, Aviation Safety Network
- ^ Fly Well portal (Which contains links to the common air transport policy) (English), European Commission, March 22, 2006
- ^ Commission Regulation (EC) No 474/2006 of 22 March 2006 (PDF-file) (English), European Commission, March 22, 2006
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