Flying Washington Kabul Just Got Easier

by Adam Gonn
Thursday, January 28, 2010

Afghani airline Safi Airways signs interline deal with United Airlines for single fare tickets.

A cooperation contract between a number of international airlines and an Afghani carrier has been signed to make traveling to Kabul much easier.

“Safi Airways is the first Afghan carrier to sign a cooperation contract with United Airline, Lufthansa and Emirates Airlines” Claus Fischer, Chief Communications Officer of Safi Airways, told The Media Line. “Starting Wednesday, it will be the first time it has been possible to buy a single-fare ticket from Kabul to Washington.”

The Safi family owned carrier plans to facilitate travel in and out of Afghanistan for western expats and increasing numbers of Afghan families who now live abroad.

Though the airline was founded in 2006 it did not start flying until 2008 and for the past nine months has been under a new management team.

“Traveling to Kabul use to be a hassle,” Fischer said. “You never knew when the flight would be going, or whether it would be going.”

Fischer added that because the route required a connection and because “reliability” was lacking in Afghani air-transport, Safi Airways was focusing on safety and punctuality.

“We have two types of passengers,” he said. “Western expats who are based or do business in Afghanistan and former afghan citizens now holding a passport from the United States or European who usually come once or twice a year to see their families in Afghanistan.”

“We just need to find a way to facilitate seamless travel for all the people who travel for almost 20 hour just to get to and from Kabul.” Fischer added.

“We are currently operating a fleet of four aircrafts, two Boeing 737 one Being 767 and one Airbus 340,” he said. “We are serving the markets from Kabul to Dubai and will start Kabul to Doha [in Qatar]. Since last June we are the only carrier with non-stop flights from Kabul to Frankfurt.”

Fischer said that the airline took special precautions regarding safety, considering the volatility of the region.

“At the airport there is a state contract in place between Afghanistan and the Emirates,” Fischer said. “A Western company paid for by the United Arab Emirates is actually doing airport security.”

“Two sniffer dogs check every aircraft before it is boarded, we have 100% baggage screening,” he explained. “When the passenger goes through security it’s just like in a western airport there is no difference.”

Aviation Expert Christian Lambertus said the moves might be part of a larger plan to enlarge its operations.

“Being a private airline in this region, it is the only way to expand their network in a short time with minimum investments,” he told The Media Line. “Currently Safi has only two long range aircraft … the demand for traffic to Kabul might be higher than expected.”

“So I guess they want to access those markets and gain traffic rights and slots,” Lambertus said. “It could be their intention to get a foot in the door in those markets.”

Source: Media Line.
Link: http://www.themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=27871.