Afghan state airline buys engines from Serbia, Turkey for USD 4.7 million

Afghanistan's state-owned civil airline, Ariana Afghan Airlines, has imported two new aircraft engines worth nearly USD 4.7 million from suppliers in Serbia and Turkey, Afghan and aviation media reported.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the company said the engines had been purchased in accordance with international technical standards and delivered to Kabul on a chartered cargo flight. They are planned to be installed on Boeing 737 and Airbus A310 aircraft to ensure safer, more stable and more regular flight operations, the Kabul Tribune reported.

Bakht-ur-Rahman Sharafat, the head of the Taliban-controlled Ariana Afghan Airlines, was quoted as saying by the media outlet that “the timely procurement of technical equipment for the aircraft is a key step towards ensuring passenger safety, maintaining an orderly flight schedule, and providing reliable national air services.”

– The activation of the new engines will increase flight capacity, reduce delays and technical problems, and enable better planning for both domestic and international flights – he added.

According to the website eplaneai.com, the engines were purchased to increase fleet capacity and support both domestic and limited international operations, at a time when Ariana is facing significant financial pressures and problems in purchasing spare parts due to sanctions.

The focus on Serbia and Turkey shows how regional suppliers are becoming important for companies that do not have access to Western markets, with local MRO and service centers being used as key partners to maintain the fleets of civilian companies in sanctioned or isolated countries.

The specific suppliers from Serbia and Turkey were not disclosed.

B. P.

Ariana Afghan Airlines

Taliban

Bakht ur Rahman Sharafat

Boeing 737

Airbus A310

aircraft engines

procurement

purchase