Another blow to a tattered flag carrier

Another blow to a tattered flag carrier
REUTERS

FEBRUARY 8: The hijacking of one of its ageing planes comes as a blow to Ariana, the tattered flag carrier of Afghan aviation. The Boeing 727 was on a flight from Kabul to the main northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif when it was commandeered by gunmen, who forced it to fly to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia and then to Britain.

The 47-year-old airline, which has survived two decades of war, first against Soviet occupation and then among various Afghan factions, was poised to broaden its horizons last year until its success attracted the attention of the United Nations Security Council.

Last year, the UN banned Ariana from flying outside Afghan airspace to punish the ruling Taliban for its refusal to extradite or expel suspected Saudi terrorist Osama bin Laden, who is officially a ``guest'' of the Islamic movement.

According to UN insiders, the airline was chosen because it was a visible, working indication of Taliban policy that could be sanctioned without causing more suffering to a nation that has knownlittle but war for two decades.

Ariana has three Boeing 727s, three Antonov 24s and was poised to buy a Boeing 747 to expand its international flights when the Security Council clipped its wings.

Last year saw Ariana expand, financed by payments for overflight rights by world airlines. It made regular flights to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and the occasional flight to India.

Enterprising Afghan traders packed flights to the Gulf to buy consumer goods which were resold in Afghanistan's major cities.