Gandhara Airways

Gandhara Airways
خطوط غندارى الجوية
Khuṭūṭ Gāndhārī al-Jawwiyyah

IATA ICAO Callsign G1 GAA GANDHARA
Founded	31 January 1936 (1936-01-31)
Hubs	Rhea International Airport
Frequent-flyer program	Sky Rewards
Subsidiaries	Air Nura
Fleet size	170
Destinations	165
Company slogan	Explore Your World
Headquarters	Rhea, Gandhara
Key people	Leila Hayek (Chairwoman & CEO)
Revenue	GAD 12.97 billion (2018)
Operating income	GAD 1.141 billion (2018)
Employees	32,767 (2018)

Gandhara Airways (Arabic: خطوط غندارى الجوية, Khuṭūṭ Gāndhārī al-Jawwiyyah), legally Gandhara Airways S.A.M., is the flag carrier airline of Gandhara. Headquartered in Rhea, the airline operates domestic and international passenger and cargo services, mainly from its hub at Rhea International Airport.

History

Early years

On 31 January 1936, the company Airwork opened a new airline in Gandhara, named Gandhara Airwork. The ownership was split between the Gandhari Monetary Agency (52%), Airwork (40%), and private Gandhari investors (8%). Exclusivity of air transport operations was granted to the new company by the government, and the airline commenced operations in June 1936 with daily flights between Rhea and Port Eden, using de Havilland D.H.86 aircraft. The first of four Douglas DC-2 aircraft was delivered to the company in early 1937 and was put to use on the first foreign services within Outernatia. In 1938, Douglas DC-3 aircraft were phased in. The DC-3 had many exceptional qualities compared to other aircraft of its time, being a fast airplane with a good range that could operate from short runways. The DC-3 was easy to maintain and it could carry passengers in greater comfort.

Gandhara Airwork established its first routes to Internatia and Aurora in 1946, initially with a fleet of Douglas DC-3s and Douglas DC-4s. Lockheed Constellations and Douglas DC-6s for long-distance routes and Convair CV-240 aircraft for short-distance routes joined the airline's fleet in the late 1940s. In 1951, Gandhara Airwork was acquired by the Gandhari government. When the state of Gandhara became the sole shareholder, Gandhara Airwork was renamed to Gandhara Airways.

Jet age

With the introduction of the Sud Aviation Caravelle into the fleet for short- and medium-range routes in 1960, Gandhara Airways received its first jet airplanes. The airline was one of the few companies to purchase the Convair 990 Coronado, six aircraft were bought for medium- and long-range routes in 1962. Although the aircraft did not initially fulfill contractual specifications, they were popular among employees and customers. The Convair 990 Coronados were replaced by Ilyushin Il-62 aircraft at the beginning of the 1970s.

The Boeing 747-100, the first wide-body airplane, was acquired in 1971. Like for many airlines, the Boeing 747 meant a revolution for Gandhara Airways. It enabled the carrier to expand its network very rapidly. Many more variants of the Boeing 747 were added to the fleet: the Boeing 747-200 in 1972, the Boeing 747SP in 1976, the Boeing 747-300 in 1983, and the Boeing 747-400 in 1989. Also different freighter variants of the Boeing 747 were operated by Gandhara Airways throughout its history.

Another wide-body airplane, the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, was bought in 1972. The L-1011 TriStars became popular with the airline as well and remained in the fleet until 1996.

1980s and 1990s

In 1982, Gandhara Airways began operating the Airbus A300B4-200. It was the first airplane from Airbus to join the fleet. Airbus A300-600s and Airbus A310s followed in 1984 and 1985. It was the start of a strong relationship between Gandhara Airways and Airbus. For short- and medium-range routes, older Boeing 737s and Tupolev Tu-154s were replaced by Airbus A320 aircraft during the 1990s. The Airbus A330 would become the work horse and flagship aircraft for longe-range routes.

At the beginning of the 1990s, the demand for privatisation of the airline grew both within the company and across the Gandhari aviation industry. The demand from Gandhara Airways was based on the philosophy of minimum governance and the belief that privatisation would have a positive effect on operational efficiency, making the airline more competitive. Privatision of Gandhara Airways could also increase competition in the aviation market, which in turn would improve the quality of services and lower the ticket prices. The privatisation process of Gandhara Airways began in 1994, when the Gandhari government sold 20% of the shares while it would reduce its stake in the airline further to 36% in 1998.

In 1996, Gandhara Airways took an initial 23,5% stake in the newly founded airline Air Nura, a low-cost carrier.

2000s and 2010s

After increasing its stake in Air Nura to 48% in 2001, Gandhara Airways purchased the remainder of the shares and assumed complete ownership in 2004. In the same year, the Gandhari government sold its remaining shares in the airline, completing the privatisation process. However, the Gandhari government announced in February 2019 that it had purchased 14.3% of the shares in Gandhara Airways.

Destinations

As of September 2019, Gandhara Airways serves 165 destinations: 27 domestic destinations (plus 4 destinations in Asabiya and 3 in Diyafa), and 131 international destinations across Aurora, Internatia, and Outernatia.

Codeshare agreements

Gandhara Airways has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

• A+ Airlines
• Air Nura
• Freehan Airways
• Kimmy Airlines
• Lettucian Airlines
• Lost Islands Airways
• Rainfall Airways

Fleet

File:Gandhara Airways Airbus A320neo (EP-HPX).png

Gandhara Airways Airbus A320neo

File:Gandhara Airways Airbus A330-200 (EP-HOH).png

Gandhara Airways Airbus A330-200

Gandhara Airways operates a fleet composed of narrow-body, wide-body, and cargo aircraft from five aircraft families: Airbus A220, Airbus A320, Airbus A330, Airbus A350 XWB, and Boeing 747.

As of September 2019, the Gandhara Airways fleet (excluding its subsidiary Air Nura) consists of the following aircraft:

Gandhara Airways fleet

Aircraft	In Service	Orders	Passengers				Notes
			C	W	Y	Total
Airbus A220-100	4	6	8	—	100	108	Deliveries between 2019 and 2020.
Airbus A220-300	6	19	12	—	118	130
Airbus A320-200	47	—	12	—	138	150
Airbus A320neo	8	57	12	—	138	150	Deliveries until 2022.
Airbus A321-200	24	—	16	—	169	185
Airbus A330-200	19	—	22	21	203	246
Airbus A330-300	32	—	34	21	223	278
Airbus A350-1000	8	18	46	32	256	334	Deliveries until 2021.
Boeing 747-400	13	—	56	26	278	360	To be phased out by 2021. To be replaced by Airbus A350-1000s.
Gandhara Airways Cargo fleet
Airbus A330-200F	6	—	Cargo
Boeing 747-400ERF	3	—	Cargo
Total	170	100

Cabin

Gandhara Airways offers three cabin classes on board their wide-body aircraft for international long-haul routes: Business Class, Premium Economy, and Economy Class. Narrow-body aircraft for short-haul and medium-haul flights have Business Class and Economy Class seats. The airline has made efforts to uniform their fleet and offer the same type of seats across different aircraft models. Many aircraft received new interior. Originally, the airline offered First Class seating on board most of their wide-body aircraft, but as Business Class seats evolved and became more private with a better level of service, the need for First Class suites went down.

Business Class

Business Class on board an Airbus A350-1000

Gandhara Airways has two types of Business Class seats, for wide-body and narrow-body aircraft. The Business Class on wide-body aircraft features reverse herringbone seats designed by Porsche Design in a 1-2-1 configuration, except on the upper deck of the Boeing 747-8I, where the seats are arranged in a 1-1 configuration. Each seat has direct aisle access and converts into a fully flat bed with a length of 82 inches (210 cm). The seats have a width of up to 21 inches (53 cm), with an HD personal television and additional enclosed storage space on the side.

On narrow-body aircraft, Business Class seating is in a 2-2 abreast arrangement. The seats have a pitch of 36 inches (91 cm) or 38 inches (97 cm) and are 21 inches (53 cm) wide.

Loyalty program

Sky Rewards is the frequent-flyer program of Gandhara Airways. Membership into the program is free. Within the Sky Rewards program, miles can be earned by taking flights with Gandhara Airways, Air Nura, and Lost Islands Airways. The amount of earned miles is determined by the ticket fare, class of service, and membership tier. There are four membership tiers: blue, silver, gold, and platinum. The membership tier depends on the number of flights being taken between 1 January and 31 December each year.

Miles can be redeemed for free tickets, upgrades to a more expensive seating class, extra baggage allowance, and lounge access. Miles can also be used at hotels, restaurants, car rentals, and several shops. Miles can be claimed up to six months after an eligible flight and they expire after two years without an eligible flight.

See also

• List of flag-carrying airlines