Pamir Airways
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Founded | 1994 | ||||||
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Commenced operations | 1995 | ||||||
Ceased operations | 2011 | ||||||
Hubs | Kabul International Airport | ||||||
Fleet size | 5 (upon closure) | ||||||
Destinations | 10 (upon closure) | ||||||
Headquarters | Kabul, Afghanistan | ||||||
Key people | Sherkhan Farnood (Chairman) | ||||||
Website | pamirairways.af |
Pamir Airways was a privately owned airline headquartered in Kabul, Afghanistan,[1] operating scheduled passenger flights out of Kabul International Airport. The company name is derived from the Pamir Mountains and translates "roof of the world".
History[]
As the first private airline[citation needed] in the history of the country, Pamir Airways was issued an Air Operator's Certificate in 1994[1] by the authorities then in charge of civil aviation in the Islamic State of Afghanistan. Flight operations were launched in 1995 with an initial fleet of one Boeing 707-300 and two Antonov An-12 aircraft.[citation needed]
In April 2008, Pamir Airways was taken over by a group of Afghan businessmen under the leadership of Sherkhan Farnood, the president of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce & Industries and former chairman of Kabul Bank, who subsequently became chairman of the airline. Following the investment, Pamir Airways received a loan for $98 million from Kabul Bank, which was later exposed as one having indescribably poor lending standards (e.g. little to no interest required, no collateral required and repayment essentially optional)[2] An effort was made to re-organize the Pamir assets, including its aging fleet of grounded planes, which could not be sold at high enough prices to reclaim the funds, though.[2] As a consequence, the license of the airline was withdrawn, officially due to the poor safety record on 19 March 2011.[3][4]
Destinations[]
Upon closure, Pamir Airways operated scheduled services to the following destinations:[5]
- Afghanistan
- Herat - Herat Airfield
- Kabul - Kabul International Airport Hub
- Kandahar - Kandahar Airport
- Lashkar Gah - Bost Airport
- Mazar-i-Sharif - Mazar-i-Sharif Airport
- India
- Saudi Arabia
- Tajikistan
- Dushanbe - Dushanbe Airport
- United Arab Emirates
During the Hajj season, Pamir Airways played a major role in taking Afghan pilgrims to Saudi Arabia (9,000 in 2004 and 15,000 in 2005).[citation needed]
Fleet[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Pamir_Airways_Boeing_737-400.jpg/220px-Pamir_Airways_Boeing_737-400.jpg)
Over the years, Pamir Airways operated the following aircraft types:[6]
Aircraft | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Antonov An-12 | 1995 | ||
Antonov An-24 | 2010 | ||
Boeing 707 | 1995 | ||
Boeing 737-200 | 2008 | 2011 | 1 remained in fleet upon closure |
Boeing 737-400 | 2009 | 2011 | 4 remained in fleet upon closure |
McDonnell Douglas DC-10 | 2005 |
Incidents and accidents[]
- On 17 May 2010, Pamir Airways Flight 112, an Antonov An-24, crashed into Salang Pass, 100 km north of Kabul, Afghanistan.[7] The plane was en route from Kunduz Airport to Kabul, when it suddenly disappeared from radar.[8][9]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b Pamir Airways entry at airlineupdate.com
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Afghan Elite Borrowed Freely From Kabul Bank". The New York Times. 28 March 2011.
- ^ http://www.flightglobal.com/airspace/groups/fleet_and_orders_gossip_shop/blog/archive/2011/03/25/airlines-suspending-operations-afghan-auhtorities-suspend-pamir-airways.aspx
- ^ "Afghan Elite Borrowed Freely From Kabul Bank". The New York Times. 28 March 2011.
- ^ Pamir Airways flight schedule Archived 2011-04-26 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ^ Pamir Airways fleet list at planespotters.net
- ^ Afghan Official: Passenger Plane Crashes
- ^ Afghan passenger flight reported missing
- ^ "Britons in Afghan aeroplane crash". BBC News Online. 17 May 2010. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
External links[]
Media related to Pamir Airways at Wikimedia Commons
- Defunct airlines of Afghanistan
- Airlines established in 1994
- Airlines disestablished in 2011
- 1994 establishments in Afghanistan