Safi Airways Boosts Domestic Afghan Offering

Safi Airways will increase its presence in the domestic Afghanistan market this month when it launches flights from the capital Kabul to Herat and Kandahar. The carrier will offer a daily link to Herat and a three times weekly service to Kandahar from June 16, 2012 using an Airbus A320 configured with 12 Business Class and 132 Economy seats.

Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011 and is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country. The westerly Afghan city of Herat is the third largest in the country with an estimated population of around 400,000 (according to 2006 figures) and is situated in the valley of the Hari River, which flows from the mountains of central Afghanistan to the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan.

"We are pleased to expand our network within Afghanistan, offering passengers greater choice and flexibility in their travel plans,” said Lloyd Carswell, Chief Commercial Officer of Safi Airways. “This builds on our strategy to strengthen our position as the leading international carrier of Afghanistan, serving more points in our domestic market, with connections to Europe and the USA with our interline partners.”

According to flight schedule data, the domestic Afghanistan market is currently dominated by Pamir Airways, accounting for 52.9 per cent of the total seat capacity this month, although it was understood that this carrier suspended all operations in March 2011. East Horizon Airlines, Kam Air, Ariana Afghan Airlines and Eastern SkyJets all also provide scheduled domestic flights within the country (see table below).

This will be Safir Airways’ second attempt to enter the domestic market in Afghanistan. It had launched internal flights in April 2009 linking Kabul with Kandahar and Mazar-e Sherif and the city of Herat with Kabul and Mazar-e Sherif but these lasted just a couple of months and were terminated from August the same year.

The Kabul – Herat route is believed to be the busiest domestic service in Afghanistan with an estimated O&D demand of 164,000 O&D passengers in 2011. Strong passenger flows are also evident between Kabul and Mazar-e Sherif (around 77,000 passengers) and between Kabul and Kandahar (approximately 67,000 passengers).