Ariana Afghan Airlines resumes domestic operations

Ariana Afghan Airlines issues widebody ACMI RFP

Ariana Afghan Airlines (FG, Kabul) has issued a request for proposals to ACMI operators for the wet-lease of a single widebody aircraft starting February 1, 2022 and running for a period of three months.

According to the tender, the state-owned airline is looking for either an A310-300 or a B767 capable of seating between 150 and 300 passengers for use in connecting Kabul with each of Kandahar, Mazar i Sharif, and Herat locally as well as Dubai Int'l, Tehran Imam Khomeini, Mashad, Islamabad Quaid-e-Azam Int'l, Delhi Int'l, Jeddah, Riyadh, Istanbul New, Ankara Esenboga, and Moscow Sheremetyevo internationally. Monthly flight hours have been set at a maximum of 130 hours.

Eligible aircraft should not be older than 24 years of age.

The bid closing date is January 7, 2022.

Ariana operates a single A310-300 and two B737-400s, the ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows.

Ariana Afghan Airlines issues RFP for a B737-500

Ariana Afghan Airlines (FG, Kabul) has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the purchase of a single B737-500 for immediate delivery.

The airline is seeking an aircraft equipped with CFM International CFM56‐3C1 engines, each with at least 2,500 flight cycles remaining. It has to be airworthy, not older than 25 years of age, and not due for a C Check for another six months or 1,000 flight hours. The carrier did not specify the cabin configuration sought other than requesting that the aircraft have a single-class configuration with soft dividers allowing for the flexible separation between business and economy class.

Bids are due by December 11, 2021, and have to remain valid for 90 days (extendable by another 30 days). Offers should be priced in US Dollars. Ariana Afghan Airlines said it would expect the delivery of the aircraft within 60 days of the signing of the contract.

The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows the Afghan flag carrier's fleet is currently limited to one A310-300 and two B737-400s....

Afghan carriers resume flights; foreign operators cautious

The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) has given Kam Air (RQ, Kabul) the greenlight to start commercial flights to Islamabad Quaid-e-Azam Int'l in Pakistan, local media have reported citing a PCAA document.

Following a letter from the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Transport in the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the PCAA decided to award the privately-owned Afghan carrier 3x weekly rights to the Pakistani capital gateway. Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows that as of September 22, Kam Air has already resumed operating the route on a scheduled basis using B737-300s.

Aside from Pakistan, Kam Air is currently running flights (both scheduled and charter) to Mazar i Sharif domestically, Tbilisi (Georgia), and Abu Dhabi Int'l. Both of Kam Air's A340-300s are also active on commercial flights into and out of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

State-owned Ariana Afghan Airlines (FG, Kabul) is also active with one B737-400 while sister carrier Bakhtar Afghan Airlines (BM, Kabul) is also using its sole B737-500.

On Sunday, September 26, the Afghan...

Pakistan's PIA resumes Kabul ops on a charter basis

PIA - Pakistan International Airlines (PK, Islamabad Quaid-e-Azam Int'l) has denied earlier reports that it has resumed scheduled flights to Kabul adding that it will serve the Afghan capital on charter basis, the first flight of which operated on Monday, September 13.

On September 11, spokesman Abdullah Hafeez Khan told the AFP news agency that the airline had already obtained all the necessary approvals for the launch of flights on September 13. However, a day later, he clarified that his statement was allegedly taken out of context. He underlined that there were still "a lot of factors" to consider before scheduled flights could restart.

"We had actually applied for charter flight permission to Kabul," he told Voice of America, clarifying that international institutions and organisations still present in Kabul were in contact with PIA concerning their needs for the evacuation of employees.

Khan added that even those charter flights still required further "agreements", which were not in place as of September 12.

Following the Taliban takeover of Kabul on August 15, the...