A plan by UK carrier Astraeus to enter into a technical support contract with Ariana Afghan Airlines has been thwarted by the UK Department for Transport (DfT), which has refused to allow the deal to go ahead.
Astraeus was to provide crew, training and maintenance services for two 757-200s that Ariana has leased from Boeing Capital, and to help the Afghan carrier establish its operations.
Astraeus commercial director Jonathan Hinkles believes that the DfT’s decision was taken on the basis that the regulator does not want UK-registered aircraft to operate in and out of Kabul, although he says that the aircraft would not have been used to serve the UK. He adds that the contract is now likely to go to a non-UK operator.
Source: Flight International
