Kazakhstan Airlines Boeing 747SP
The breakup of the Soviet Union left many of the former Soviet holdings without regular airline service, and the need to establish national flag carriers to begin trade with other nations. Most of these countries were able to take advantage of former Aeroflot equipment left behind. Aeroflot had flown in Kazakhstan since 1920, and with a large number of aircraft and flight crews remaining in the country, Kazakhstan Airlines was formed in 1992, using Tupolev Tu-134s and 154s for international flights and Yakovlev Yak-40s on domestic services. Mixed cargo and passenger services were operated with Antonov An-24s and Ilyushin Il-76s. Links were established with Russia, several other of the “stans” of Central Asia, and India.
Kazakhstan Airlines ran into trouble almost immediately due to several factors: its equipment was aging and spare parts were scarce, training was poor due to a lack of instructors, and since Russian was the language used by Aeroflot crews inside the Soviet Union, even former Aeroflot crewmembers lacked the English skills necessary for international flights. The issue of aging equipment was partially addressed by the acquisition of a Boeing 747SP, which was used mainly for Kazakh government flights.
Nonetheless, Kazakhstan Airlines suffered five accidents between 1993-1996, three of them in 1995; the first four were nonfatal, but the last resulted in a midair collision with a Saudi Arabian Airlines 747 over India in November 1996, with the deaths of all 349 people aboard both aircraft. As Kazakhstan Airlines was found primarily responsible for the disaster, the Kazakh government closed down the airline in 1997, restructured it as Air Kazakhstan, and relaunched the airline. It was never commercially successful and went bankrupt in 2004.
This aircraft first flew with Trans World Airlines in 1980, and then with American Airlines until it was acquired by Kazakhstan. It was withdrawn from service in 1996, and after flying charters until 1999, it was scrapped in Luxembourg in 2002.
Kazakhstan Airlines Boeing 747SP
The breakup of the Soviet Union left many of the former Soviet holdings without regular airline service, and the need to establish national flag carriers to begin trade with other nations. Most of these countries were able to take advantage of former Aeroflot equipment left behind. Aeroflot had flown in Kazakhstan since 1920, and with a large number of aircraft and flight crews remaining in the country, Kazakhstan Airlines was formed in 1992, using Tupolev Tu-134s and 154s for international flights and Yakovlev Yak-40s on domestic services. Mixed cargo and passenger services were operated with Antonov An-24s and Ilyushin Il-76s. Links were established with Russia, several other of the “stans” of Central Asia, and India.
Kazakhstan Airlines ran into trouble almost immediately due to several factors: its equipment was aging and spare parts were scarce, training was poor due to a lack of instructors, and since Russian was the language used by Aeroflot crews inside the Soviet Union, even former Aeroflot crewmembers lacked the English skills necessary for international flights. The issue of aging equipment was partially addressed by the acquisition of a Boeing 747SP, which was used mainly for Kazakh government flights.
Nonetheless, Kazakhstan Airlines suffered five accidents between 1993-1996, three of them in 1995; the first four were nonfatal, but the last resulted in a midair collision with a Saudi Arabian Airlines 747 over India in November 1996, with the deaths of all 349 people aboard both aircraft. As Kazakhstan Airlines was found primarily responsible for the disaster, the Kazakh government closed down the airline in 1997, restructured it as Air Kazakhstan, and relaunched the airline. It was never commercially successful and went bankrupt in 2004.
This aircraft first flew with Trans World Airlines in 1980, and then with American Airlines until it was acquired by Kazakhstan. It was withdrawn from service in 1996, and after flying charters until 1999, it was scrapped in Luxembourg in 2002.