Safi Airways announces fleet renewal plans at ATM

Safi Airways, the leading international airline of Afghanistan, has announced that it will be acquiring two Airbus A320s this summer, the first one already next month on the Dubai – Kabul route. The aircraft will be liveried in Safi's new corporate branding, which was also unveiled at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) currently taking place in Dubai.
The airline's chairman Rahim Safi said, "We have worked hard to achieve the turnaround for Safi Airways during 2009 and we achieved our goal. The airline has now had several months making a small operational profit and March onwards looks even more promising. Looking forward we see the need to put newer Aircraft into service so we will introduce the A320s to our fleet as of late June 2010. This will enable us to improve passenger convenience and utilize the crew and maintenance commonality advantages of having an A320/A340 fleet”.
He said 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 for Safi. “Passengers will be thrilled by the brand new interior and the business class seats on these aircraft will be outstanding” said Werner Borchert, Executive Vice Chairman of Safi Airways.  Elaborating on the destiny of Safi’s current Boeing 737 fleet, Borchert explained; “We plan a comprehensive overhaul program for the existing 737s. Once completed, these aircrafts will continue to operate for Safi on Charter and ACMI sales and to cover peak periods. These aircrafts will be part of the Safi fleet for the foreseeable future.”
Safi Airways 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. “We want to make it clear that we are a young airline with aspirations. We are also a bilingual airline, proud of our Afghan heritage, so the Dari language is a key element of the logo,” Borchert said.
Safi Airways also announced their preparation for a complete IOSA audit which will be completed this fall. The IOSA audit will reassure potential partner airlines that Safi operates to the highest international safety standards.
“Our clear goal is code-sharing,” said Claus Fischer, Safi's Chief commercial officer. “Our interline agreements with major airlines like Emirates, Lufthansa, United Airlines and Qatar Airways have helped establish Safi as Afghanistan's premier airline. We are also putting a lot of effort in GDS distribution which makes booking flights to Kabul much easier from anywhere in the world. In addition, the thoroughfares available from our partner airlines make flying to Afghanistan really affordable for all.”