Gandhara Airways

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Gandhara Airways
خطوط غندارى الجوية
Khuṭūṭ Gāndhārī al-Jawwiyyah
IATA ICAO Callsign
G1 GAA GANDHARA
Founded31 January 1936; 88 years ago (1936-01-31)
HubsRhea International Airport
Frequent-flyer programSky Rewards
SubsidiariesAir Nura
Fleet size164
Destinations165
Company sloganExplore Your World
HeadquartersRhea, Gandhara
Key peopleLeila Hayek (Chairwoman & CEO)
RevenueIncrease GAD 12.97 billion (2018)
Operating incomeIncrease GAD 1.141 billion (2018)
Employees32,767 (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. A division of Gandhara Airwork, named Gandhara Airlines, was established in 1937.

In 1951, Gandhara Airwork was acquired by the Gandhari government. When the state of Gandhara became the sole shareholder, Gandhara Airwork and Gandhara Airlines were merged to form a new company named Gandhara Airways. The airline became a subsidiairy of the state-owned holding company Gandhara Aviation Group in 1978, when the Gandhari government decided to bring all aviation services under one umbrella. As Gandhara Airways, the company grew and became one of the largest airlines of Outernatia.

1990s

Despite being a state-owned company, the airline was self-financing without any financial backing by the Gandhari government. During the 1990s, the demand for privatisation 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 1998, when the Gandhara Aviation Group sold 20% of the shares with plans to reduce its stake in the airline further to 36% in the future. New legislation was approved by the Parliament of Gandhara to ensure that the airline continues to be majority-owned by Gandhari shareholders. The new law gave the airline the right to buy back shares, if foreign ownership would rise above 40%. From 45%, the airline was given the right to issue new shares without offering existing shareholders first refusal. If foreign ownership exceeds 50%, the law allows the company to force shareholders to sell shares at their original purchase price, or to declare the shares void.

2000s

After taking an initial stake in Air Nura in 1996, Gandhara Airways assumed complete ownership of the low-cost airline in 2004.

Destinations

As of June 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:

Fleet

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

Gandhara Airways operates a fleet composed of narrow-body, wide-body, and cargo aircraft from six aircraft families: Airbus A220, Airbus A320, Airbus A330, Airbus A350 XWB, Boeing 747, and Boeing 777.

As of June 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
Airbus A220-300 6 19 12 118 130
Airbus A320-200 30 12 138 150 Older aircraft to be replaced by Airbus A320neo.
Airbus A320neo 4 43 12 138 150 Deliveries until 2021.
Airbus A321-200 24 16 169 185
Airbus A321neo 5 7 16 169 185 Deliveries until 2020.
Airbus A330-200 15 31 21 183 235 One aircraft in TAG livery.
Airbus A350-900 3 17 38 28 214 280 Deliveries until 2020.
Airbus A350-1000 8 18 46 32 256 334 Deliveries until 2020.
Outernatian launch customer.
Boeing 747-8I 20 56 32 288 376 Largest Boeing 747-8I operator.
Boeing 777-200ER 17 40 24 216 280
Boeing 777-300ER 19 40 32 296 368
Gandhara Airways Cargo fleet
Airbus A330-200F 6 Cargo
Boeing 747-400ERF 3 Cargo
Total 164 110

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