Safi safari into a brave new world

Safi Airways, the international airline of Afghanistan , announced its expansion plans and re-branding at the Arabian Travel Market in May.

The airline, which began operations in November 2007, achieved a growth in ticket sales of 400 per cent during 2009 compared to 2008 and currently operates scheduled flights to four destinations with four aircraft. Its primary hub destinations are Frankfurt , Germany , with five flights per week, and Dubai , UAE, with two flights daily.

In February Safi  signed interline agreements with Lufthansa, Emirates, Qatar Airways and the US carrier United Airlines. It also recently reached agreements with Delta Air Lines, Air China and Hainan Airlines, which will further fuel growth.

“Our expansion over the past 18 months has been very encouraging and we are aiming to almost double the number of destinations we serve over the next 12 months,” said Claus Fischer, Safi ’s chief commercial officer.

“We opened Frankfurt almost a year ago and we have increased our services already from three to five flights. We have strong Afghan communities in Germany and the UK and we want to use the Star Alliance hub to serve the North American market. Flying with Safi can save hours of hanging around in places like Dubai waiting for connections. With us take-off in Kabul is 9am and you arrive at 14.30pm in Frankfurt . At 1700 local time Star Alliance has a big departure wave for evening flights to the US or Europe, so you can be at your destination from Kabul the same day.”

Apart from Kabul and Frankfurt, the airline serves Dubai , Kuwait and Doha , and this summer will be adding Delhi and Beijing to its routes.

“Most Afghanis travel to Delhi for medical treatment,” explained Fischer. “Beijing is being added as it is a business hub and a transit point for traffic from Korea and Japan , plus for the American west coast traffic, so these new routes will be a great advantage for many people.”

Later this summer Safi will be acquiring two Airbus A320s. The aircraft will be liveried in the new corporate branding, which was also unveiled at the Arabian Travel Market.

“We worked hard to achieve the turnaround for Safi Airways during 2009 and we achieved our goal. We will probably get another A340 next year. And our business plan foresees a total of eight to nine operative aircraft in 2014,” said Fischer. He added that the airline is currently in the selection process for dry-leasing one A320, with an acquisition of the second unit planned for later in the year.

Safi has a policy to only introduce young aircraft (between 10 and 13 years of age), fully refurbished before going into service.

“We plan a comprehensive overhaul programme for the existing 737s. Once completed, they will continue to operate on charter and ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance – wet lease) sales and to cover peak periods,” said Fischer.

Safi ’s new logo and corporate identity, designed to give a younger and fresher look, will also be phased into its airport branding, advertising and existing aircraft.

Safi was the first Afghan airline to operate according to EASA and ICAO standards.

“We want to show the world that Afghanistan has a professional and reliable airline,” said Fischer.

Safi also announced its preparation for a complete IATA Operational Safety Audit, which will be completed this autumn and is aimed at reassuring potential partner airlines that the company operates to the highest international safety standards.