| |||||||
Founded | 30 July 2003 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Operating bases | Kabul International Airport | ||||||
Secondary hubs | Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport | ||||||
Frequent-flyer program | Orange Miles | ||||||
Fleet size | 8 | ||||||
Destinations | 18 | ||||||
Headquarters | Kabul, Afghanistan | ||||||
Key people | Zmarai Kamgar (Founder & Chairman) Ravil Aksianov (CEO/Accountable Manager) | ||||||
Employees | 1,200+ | ||||||
Website | www |
Kam Air is the largest private Afghan airline. [1] Founded in 2003, Kam Air has twelve aircraft and a workforce of over 1,200 people, operating scheduled domestic passenger services throughout Afghanistan and international services to destinations in Central Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East. Its hub is at Kabul International Airport in the capital Kabul.
Kam Air was the first private commercial airline established in Afghanistan by the owner and founder of Kamgar Group, Zamarai Kamgar, an Afghan businessman. Kam Air's Operator Certificate (AOC Nr. 001) was issued in August 2003 by the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation (MoTCA) of Afghanistan. Kam Air was registered with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) three letter airline code, KMF, International Air Transport Association (IATA) two letter code, RQ and financial code 384.
The first flight of Kam Air was operated from Kabul to Herat and Mazar-i-Sharif in November 2003 with a Boeing 727-200, while the first international flight was inaugurated in May 2004 between Kabul and Dubai.
On 25 January 2013, the United States blacklisted Kam Air citing a United States Army investigation that the airline smuggled opium on civilian flights to Tajikistan, an allegation denied by the airline and the Afghan government. [2] The ban was suspended a month later. [3]
On 24 February 2021, Kam Air operated Afghanistan's first ever all-female crew flight. The airline's first and last commercial female Afghan pilot, then 22-year-old Mohadese Mirzaee, joined now former Captain Veronica Borysova from Ukraine in piloting the Boeing 737-500 from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul to Herat. The event made global headlines and was featured on BBC News, Deutsche Welle and the Business Insider . [4] The flight took 90 minutes. [5] [6]
Due to the collapse of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, all civilian services in the country were temporarily suspended on 15 August 2021. [7] Kam Air flew some of its planes to Iran to prevent damage during the turmoil. [8] However, domestic flights restarted on 5 September 2021. [9] International flights were also later resumed. [10]
Kam Air's frequent flyer program includes a loyalty membership called the Orange Miles. [11]
As of January 2024, Kam Air serves the following destinations:
Kam Air has codeshares with the following airlines: [13]
As of April 2024, Kam Air has the following aircraft in its fleet: [14]
Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes [15] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | Y | Total | ||||
Airbus A340-300 | 4 | — | — | 346 | 346 | Plus an additional parked aircraft. |
32 | 264 | 296 | ||||
Boeing 737-300 | 3 | — | — | 143 | 143 | Plus 3 additional parked aircraft. All aircraft with retrofitted wingtips. |
Boeing 737-500 | 1 | — | — | 126 | 126 | With retrofitted wingtips. |
Total | 8 |
In August 2021, Kam Air sent an unspecified number of its aircraft to Iran for temporary storage amidst safety concerns following the fall of Kabul and the resulting chaos that surrounded the city's airport. [16]
The airline previously operated the following aircraft: [14]
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Media related to Kam Air at Wikimedia Commons