| Airline: | Pamir Airways |
| Fleet Size: | 5 (upon closure) |
| Destinations: | 10 (upon closure) |
| Iata: | PM |
| Icao: | PIR |
| Callsign: | PAMIR |
| Founded: | 1994 |
| Commenced: | May 1995 |
| Ceased: | 2011 |
| Headquarters: | Kabul, Afghanistan |
| Key People: | Sherkhan Farnood (Chairman) |
| Hubs: | Kabul International Airport |
| Website: | pamirairways.af |
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".
As the first private airline in the history of the country, Pamir Airways was issued an Air Operator's Certificate in 1994 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.
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not be sold at high enough prices to reclaim the funds, though.[2] As a consequence, the license of the airline was withdrawn, officially due to the poor safety record, on 19 March 2011.[3] [4]
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).
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 | |