Afghan Government grounds Pamir Airways during corruption probe
Afghanistan's Government has reportedly grounded Pamir Airways operations indefinitely due to its connection with Kabul Bank (The National, 17-Mar-2011). The carrier has been at the centre of corruption investigations related to claims the carrier allegedly received improper loans from Kabul Bank, which is being investigated by the Central Bank of Afghanistan and other authorities. Pamir had been in operation since 1995 and was taken over in 2008 by a group of businessmen including Sherkhan Farnood. Mr Farnood is alleged to have used his position as a shareholder and the Chairman of Kabul Bank to grant loans to expand the airline, of which he was also the Chairman. The carrier, prior to its suspension, operated service from Kabhul to Bost, New Delhi, Dubai, Dushanbe, Herat, Jeddah, Kandahar and Mazar-I-Sharf Airports, according to Innovata. The carrier, based on Ascend data, operated the the following aircraft:
- Two Antonov An-24-RVs with ZMKB Progress (Ivchenko) engines owned by Pamir Airways;
- Two B737 (CFMI)-400s with CFM International CFM5 engines owned by Pamir Airways;
- One B737 (JT8D)-200 with Advanced (Stage 3 Hushkits) Pratt & Whitney JT8D engines owned by Global Aircraft Leasing Partners.