Ariana Afghan Airlines May Go Out of Business
March 30 2007
Bad news for Afghanistan’s national airline: Ariana Afghan Airlines, which carries about 50% of the air traffic to the embattled nation, is on the brink of collapse. They are one of the few airlines who cannot blame Southwest, low fares, or high fuel costs for their problems. They have a terrible lease structure and, more importantly, incredible corruption which has left the airline mostly bankrupt.
The most interesting (and disturbing) part of the story, is that apparently for a $500 bribe, the airline’s safety department will grant you a pilot’s license. If you can’t scrape that together, you can become a "licensed" mechanic for merely $200. What a steal.
Tony on 03 Apr 2007 at 10:55 am #
You make it sound easier than it was Jared, please be fair about this.
In order to get a pilots license for $500.00 you had to be able to prove profiency on MS Flight Sim 2004. There was even a $100.00 discount if you could check out not using a joystick, and could fly accurately with a keyboard and a mouse.
Now the story is told.
todd on 30 Aug 2008 at 9:00 pm #
where do i sign up??