Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

Elements Out to Fail Ariana: Chief

Elements Out to  Fail Ariana: Chief

KABUL - Ariana Afghan Airlines chief NasirHakimi on Sunday claimed some government officials and mafia groups were out to destroy the national flag carrier.
Without naming any official or firm, Nasiri told Wolesi Jirga's economic commission that high-ranking government officials used to travel in flights of other airlines instead of Ariana. "This practice contributes to the airlines' collapse," he said without producing any evidence.

He said the state-run airlines managed its expenses from its income and the government did not provide funds to the entity because it was not a budgetary unit.
Nasiri said Ariana could compete with international carriers only when it had enough resources. Sometime ago, the airline underwent downsizing, expelling a number of workers.

"We have only two airplanes, for which 300 engineers are too many. Therefore, we fired some," Nasiri explained to the commission members, who said Ariana had purchased seven planes from the private Pamir Airlines for $102 million.

Nasiri, who was summoned by the parliamentary panel to answer questions about the deal with Pamir Airlines, denied procuring any plane.

He explained they had offered $23 million for the seven Pamir's planes during a bidding process, and if they had obtained the planes with the amount offered, the planes would have been sent abroad for a technical examination.

He said one of the two planes with Ariana belonged to Pamir and it was rented at a cost of $100,000 per month.
Nasiri also said ministries of hajj, defence and aviation owed to the airlines. However, he did not go into details.

He said the national airline ferried 10,000 hajj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia and brought them home last year.
The parliamentary commission headed Mir RahmanRahmani said they were satisfied with answers given by Nasiri, adding the commission wanted to award an appreciation letter to him. (Pajhwok)