Kish Airlines
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| Founded | December 16, 1989 | ||||||
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| Commenced operations | 1990 | ||||||
| Hubs | |||||||
| Fleet size | 10 | ||||||
| Destinations | 27 | ||||||
| Parent company | Kish Free Zone Organization | ||||||
| Headquarters | Kish Island, Persian Gulf, Iran | ||||||
| Key people | Cap. Ebrahim Siyahjani (CEO) | ||||||
| Website | Kishairlines.ir | ||||||
Kish Airlines (Persian: هواپیمایی کیش, Havāpeymāyi-e Kish) is an airline operating from Kish Island, Iran.[1] It operates international, domestic and charter services as a scheduled carrier. Its main bases are Kish International Airport and Mehrabad International Airport, Tehran.[2]
History
The airline was established on December 16, 1989, and started operations in 1990. It is owned by Kish Free Zone Organisation (79%), Kish Investment and Development (11%) and Kish Development and Servicing (10%).[citation needed]
To start its passenger operations, after receiving temporary operations permission, the airline leased two aircraft (three Tupolev Tu-154 and four McDonnell Douglas MD-82/MD-83) from Bulgaria Airlines on a wet lease basis. Kish Air received its air operator certificate (AOC) in 1991 after demonstrating its competence to the Civil Aviation authorities, during its first year of operations, thus becoming the first private company to receive its AOC from Civil Aviation of Iran. At this time the company began wet-leasing three Tupolev Tu-154Ms from Russian leasing companies, returning the previously leased Bulgarian aircraft. The company also wet-leased two Yakovlev Yak-42D aircraft from Russia.
Towards the end of 1992, the company was at the verge of bankruptcy, and most of the key managers were replaced by a new team, most of whom are still running the company successfully today.[when?] In 1999, Kish Air having enough financial strength, decided to replace its wet-leased fleet with dry leased and purchased aircraft, and within a year was able to operate two dry leased and two purchased Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft and hire and train the required aircrew and maintenance personnel. At present[when?] Kish Air is also operating a fleet of medium-range MD-80 series aircraft and short-range Fokker 100 on its domestic and international routes.
Destinations
As of Septemeber 2023, Kish Air operates services to the following destinations:
Fleet
As of April 2023, Kish Air operates the following aircraft:[3]
| Aircraft | In service | Order | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Y | Total | ||||
| Airbus A321-200 | 2 | — | 28 | 142 | 170 | 1 stored |
| 28 | 142 | 170 | ||||
| Fokker 100 | 2 | — | — | 100 | 100 | |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-82 | 4 | — | — | 161 | 161 | |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-83 | 2 | — | — | 156 | 156 | |
| Total | 10 | — | ||||
Fleet development
In April 2017, it was announced that the airline planned to order six aircraft from ATR, with variant and delivery dates announced if, and when, the deal is signed by the airline. The aircraft were planned to be used to increase the number of flights on domestic flights in Iran.[4]
Former fleet
The airline previously operated the following aircraft (at November 2017):[5]
- 2 Airbus A320 leased from Jordan Aviation
- 1 Boeing 737-500 leased from Bukovyna Airlines
- 7 Fokker 50
Accidents and incidents
- On 19 September 1995, Kish Air Flight 707 was hijacked by flight attendant Reza Jabbari and landed in Israel, where the hijacker was arrested. Jabbari requested asylum and declared his intention of converting to Judaism.[6] Sentenced to eight years in prison, he served four years but was granted asylum and remained in Israel.[7] He eventually became an Israeli citizen and converted to Judaism.[8]
- On 10 February 2004, Kish Air Flight 7170, operated by a Fokker 50 Mk.050, crashed at Sharjah International Airport killing 43 people. Three survived with serious injuries. The cause was that the propellers were put into reverse pitch while the aircraft was in flight.[9][citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ "Directory: World airlines." Flight International. 23–29 March 2004. 94.
- ^ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-04-03. p. 101.
- ^ "Global Airline Guide 2019 (Part One)". Airliner World. October 2019: 17.
- ^ "Kish Air to buy six aircraft from ATR". www.iran-daily.com. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- ^ "Kish Air Fleet Details and History". www.flightradar24.com.
- ^ Linzer, Dafna (1995-09-27). "Iranian Hijacker Wants To Stay In Israel". AP News. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
- ^ Refeal, Tabby (2022-05-04). "One Israel Story You've Probably Never Heard". Jewish Journal. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
- ^ "Iranian hijacker converts to judaism". The Dawn. 2007-03-03. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
- ^ "AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT 01/04" (PDF). General Civil Aviation Authority of the UAE. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
External links
Media related to Kish Air at Wikimedia Commons
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| Cargo | |
| Defunct | |
