Tajik Air: First step to safe flights
Finally, the state owned enterprise “Tajik Air” has acquired for lease one Boeing 737-200 (rus). Today this plane is going to do its first flight with Tajik Air logo on it from Dushanbe to Khujand. Later it will make voyages to Tehran (Iran), Samara, Ekaterenburg (Russia) and Almaty (Kazakhstan). It is the first Boeing which was ever purchased by Tajik Air and by capacity the plane is able to replace partly three Tu-134.(!)
The flight by Tajik Air has already become a hackneyed subject. Previously I translated a post of Rahmon where he was telling about the problems of Tajik Air. He was reporting on the bad service and old planes of the company. All the planes that the Tajik Air owns these days were inherited from Soviet Aeroflot and after the collapse of Soviet Union Tajik air-fleet was not supplied with new planes. Some of the planes are already 25 years old.
Usually people start getting to know the country with national air-company, it can tell you in a short period of time more than anyone or anything else. John Mussara says that ‘one who wants to get to know Tajikistan is well served to take a Tajik Air flight between Dushanbe and Khujand.’
It’s a short flight, about 45 minutes in reasonable weather, a scenic hop over high mountains of stunning beauty, almost close enough below (!) to touch, and bubbling with air pockets providing the passenger with the opportunity to gain some unexpected thrills and lose the remains of lunch.
The other day James reported on the complaints of diplomats who were scared enough by the planes of Tajik Air (then Tajik Airlines) to write a collective letter to President Rahmon (then Rahmonov), where they raised concerns about the service and safety in national air-company.
The news about the Boeing does not say anything about those who provided Tajik Air with funds, obviously it does not have its own, but previously it was reported that EBRD gave a long-term loan to the company, so that it could buy new planes. Except the EBRD loan Tajikistan has been receiving some other grants and loans from international donors to improve the country’s air services:
- $4 million in EBRD loans and $2 million from the Japan Fund for Post-Conflict Support to improve air traffic control and other aspects of flight navigation at the two airports;
- a $1.8 million EBRD loan and $2.5 million grant from the Japan Fund 1999 for repairs to the Khoujand runway;
- a $4 million grant from the Netherlands for runway repairs in Dushanbe;
Probably Tajik Air was able to acquire the plane for the loan of EBRD which was approved in late 2004, but for some reasons took a long time to be drawn down.
- and in late 2004 the EBRD Board approved a loan of $5 million for Tajik State Air to cover expenses related to the airline’s plan to lease two or more relatively new airplanes. The loan would cover costs such as training crew and other technical staff in working with those planes and to cover registration fees.
on June 21st, 2007 at 8:53 am
I was flying from Moscow to Dushnabe two years ago when a passenger sitting next to me started smoking a cigarrette. He was a big guy so I didn’t say anything even though I was totally shocked by the whole thing. Finally a flight attendant came around asking if anyone was smoking to which my guy said no. Also everything on Tajik Air planes is permeated with dirt and bacteria. Basically Tajik Air planes are ginormous flying garbage cans that are liable to crash at any moment. Actually the caustoms got a little better, so thanks to whomever was responsible for that.
on June 22nd, 2007 at 12:56 pm
haha… well I was there just a while ago. Things did seem to improve just a tiny bit. But hey, how do you eat an elephant (perhaps dinosaur)? One bite at a time!
I heard that in 2008 the Tajik government will announce a tender to privatize the airline. Didn’t think I would live to see that!
On hygene: HB has a point. Perhaps the strongest one. I suppressed my urge to throw up many times during the short 4 hour flight as one of the passengers sitting behind me took off his shoes.
He wasn’t a bit guy but I was polite enough not to expose his stinkiness to the whole plane (should have been obvious though).
On Safety: Tajik Airlines never (repeat never) had a crash unlike say Armavia (the Armenian airline with Airbuses).. Cause? Pilot error.
My advice? If you are flying to Tajikistan have a choice, try to fly on the board of the equipment pilots know best Soviet Tu-154/134.
That is unless you know for sure that the pilot has been flying Boeings for a long time.
It would take time to teach (not so young) Tajik pilots how to fly a totally new aircraft.
on June 22nd, 2007 at 7:54 pm
Vadim,
it is not possible to purchase something for lease. You either lease it or you purchase it. These are two different types of financial transactions with differring sets of rights and obligations for each party.
If purchased (even through debt financing) the ownership right is transferred to the buyer (so are underlying obligations). The lease (operating lease) however means that you have the right to operate the aircraft without the ownership right.
on June 23rd, 2007 at 6:16 am
Tajik Boy, thanks for clarifications!
on June 25th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Good news
thank you
on June 25th, 2007 at 4:47 pm
Finally able to fly to TJ without getting a good dose of vibromassage. In one way however the tajik airlines have an advantage; they provoke passengers to pray for their life for a good couple of hours, but overall, Good News!! I hope the boeing thing doesn’t become a source of incompetence for the pilots as Tajik Boy says it.
on November 15th, 2007 at 7:59 am
It is first time, when I visit this web site, I found it very interesting :), thanks for good articles!
Doroud, good sence of humor, ” In one way however the tajik airlines have an advantage; they provoke passengers to pray for their life for a good couple of hours” :-).
Anyway, our airline is not too bad ;), though it needs to be improved….much…