Bahrain
Kuwait
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
UAE
Print
Email
Discuss this article (1 Comments)Kabul today
by ArabianBusiness.com staff writer on Thursday, 20 August 2009
zoom
Safi Airways CEO Claus Fischer explains the challenges of operating flights to Afghanistan.
Which routes is Safi currently flying?
Flights from Dubai to Kabul have increased to twice daily through the peak summer travel season and over the last 12 months the volume in traffic on this route has doubled. Abu Dhabi and Sharjah connect to Kabul twice-weekly and Kuwait connects to Kabul once a week as well. In mid-June we also launched a thrice-weekly service from Kabul to Frankfurt.
Is this a direct flight?
Yes, we got non-stop approval for both directions and last month we moved our Dubai operation from Terminal 2 into Terminal 1, as the first and only carrier serving Afghanistan.
This must have been a significant move for the airline?
It was done in conjunction with the launch of our global distribution system (GDS) booking feature. From now the Safi Airways route network is bookable through major reservations systems at any IATA travel agency worldwide. There is no other Afghan carrier selling via the GDS and we hope for a 10% increase in passengers as a result of migrating onto it.
Who are your passengers?
On our domestic routes we carried a lot of Afghanis as well as NGOs, US aid workers and embassy employees. On the Kuwait and Sharjah routes it's mainly labour traffic, although the US has shown an interest in using our Kuwait service if it connects well to the US flights. For Dubai, 70% of passengers are ex-pats who have contracts with embassies - mainly the US, UK, France and some from Germany. The reason ex-pats prefer us is because we have a good on-time performance and reliability record. In January our on-time performance record was 94% - for this region, that's enormous. Also passengers fly with us because they know we are working to European standards.
I think we will see more people travelling to Afghanistan because there is great political interest and there will be a lot of people moving in now.
Are their security challenges to overcome when flying to Kabul?
Kabul is OK - there are no security issues there. The small regional airports are a security issue though. That's why we have just discontinued all services to Mazar-e Sharif and Kandahar and instead increased frequency to double daily on our Dubai to Kabul route.
You have mentioned before that Safi may begin flights to London?
Yes, we think about it, but it will not happen any time soon.
Where do your pilots originate from?
Our pilots are mainly Scandinavian, with a few Brits and Germans too, but all are European.
Do you find recruiting good pilots hard?
Right now, there is a lot of ‘supply' on the pilot side, so we don't have an issue. If (and that is a big ‘if') the industry sees a major upswing, yes, it might become an issue for us. On the other hand, for those seeking a tax-free income when compared to their European home countries, there should be enough pilots then as well.
Where do you train your cabin crew?
In Kabul. In fact, we are working with Afghanistan's civil aviation authority (CAA) to get an aviation college set up in Kabul for air traffic controllers, ground handling, pilots, cabin crew etc. The CAA is very receptive and is happy someone in the industry is driving this - and it's moving fast, but will take time. We will be building a new headquarters at the airport [in Kabul] where we will train people.
READERS' COMMENTS
Disclaimer: The views expressed here by our readers are not necessarily shared by ArabianBusiness.com or its employees.
Well Done
Posted by KGG, Dubai, UAE on Sunday 30 August 2009 at 19:33 UAE time
Well Done and all the best.. No Risk No Gain
Posted by KGG, Dubai, UAE on Sunday 30 August 2009 at 19:33 UAE time
Well Done and all the best.. No Risk No Gain
Click here to post a comment
MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM
TOP IN MIDDLE EAST TRANSPORTATION
TOP MIDDLE EAST BUSINESS STORIES
ALSO IN MIDDLE EAST TRANSPORTATION
From 
Mobile
