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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".
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| Founded | 1994 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||||||
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not be sold at high enough prices to reclaim the funds, though.[2] As a consequence, the license of the airline was withdrawn, officially due to the poor safety record, on 19 March 2011.[3][4]
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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]
Over the years, Pamir Airways operated the following aircraft types:[6]
| Aircraft | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
- 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]
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