Pamir Airways
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Founded | 1994 | ||||||
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Commenced operations | May 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 led by 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not be sold at high enough prices to reclaim the funds, though.[2] As a consequence, the license of the airline was withdrawn, officially due to the poor safety record, on 19 March 2011.[3][4]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
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/YA-PIR_B737-232_Pamir_Aws_DXB_19MAR10_%284459042083%29.jpg/220px-YA-PIR_B737-232_Pamir_Aws_DXB_19MAR10_%284459042083%29.jpg)
Upon closure, Pamir Airways operated scheduled services to the following destinations:[5]
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 |
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Antonov An-12 | 1995 | unknown | |
Antonov An-24 | unknown | 2010 | |
Boeing 707-320 | 1995 | unknown | One of the first aircraft types operated by the airline |
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-10-15 | 2005 | unknown |
Incidents and accidents
- On 17 May 2010, Pamir Airways Flight 112, an Antonov An-24, crashed into Salang Pass, 100 km north of Kabul, killing all 39 passengers and 5 crew.[7] The plane was en route from Kunduz Airport to Kabul, when it suddenly disappeared from radar.[8][9]
References
- ^ a b Pamir Airways entry at airlineupdate.com
- ^ a b "Afghan Elite Borrowed Freely From Kabul Bank". The New York Times. 28 March 2011.
- ^ "Airlines Suspending Operations: Afghan auhtorities [sic] suspend Pamir Airways - Blog - FleetWatch - Aviation & Aerospace Blogs - FlightGlobal". Archived from the original on 2012-11-05. Retrieved 2011-03-28.
- ^ "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
- Official website
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![Afghanistan](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Flag_of_the_Taliban.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_Taliban.svg.png)
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