India has offered three Airbus A300s from state-owned Air India to Ariana Afghan Airlines to help the shattered carrier rebuild its operations. India's civil aviation minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain made the offer during talks with visiting Afghan officials. He says the first of the three A300s will be handed over to Ariana late this month. Air India pilots will temporarily be sent to Afghanistan to help Ariana train its crews, Hussain says, adding that the Afghan carrier plans to use the aircraft to open services to Frankfurt, London and Paris. Ariana, which resumed flying in December, lost most of its aircraft as a result of the air strikes against Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom.
Source: Flight International
