Ariana Afghan Airlines has submitted a request for wet lease of a widebody aircraft with 300 to 500 seat capacity for three months to offer flight services to Hajj this summer. The airline anticipates that the aircraft will carry over 30,000 people to Saudi Arabia for Hajj. The airline has set the deadline for the bid as March 27, 2023.
The airline is accepting bids for B747, B767, B777, A330 and A340s.
Once the lessor is chosen the airline is expecting the aircraft delivery within 14 days in advance. There are various other requirements such as provision of multiple flight attendants and pilots as the airline plans to use the aircraft vigorously during the leased period of three months. This includes exceeding the limitations that would apply to just one flight crew.
The airline has also placed a clause of providing a mechanic and engineer to travel with the aircraft in case it has any issues while it is away from the airline's hub at Kabul. The lessor also needs to provide a replacement aircraft within 48 hours in case of emergency or unscheduled maintenance need. The airline has implemented this requirement as having a replacement aircraft will act as a bit of insurance should the leased airliner become unairworthy.
The airline anticipates that the aircraft would cover between 600 and 1000 hours in three months.
Hajj, the holy pilgrim of Muslims will commence from the last week of June and continue till July 1, 2023. The flights services offered by Ariana Afghan Airlines cater around this event. The airline aims to carry thousands of passengers to Saudi Arabia from various locations.