Safi Airways, the international airline from Afghanistan, will now operate an Airbus 340-300 on the Frankfurt-Kabul route from early next month, said a top official.

Safi Airways, headquartered in Kabul and Dubai, started flights on the Frankfurt sector five months back and is now planning to boost its seating capacity by 30 per cent.

'With the new aircraft type, the seat capacity on the only nonstop carrier between Afghanistan and Europe will be increased by 30 per cent. Cargo Capacity will now amount up to 20 tons per flight,' said Rahim Safi, chairman of Safi Airways.

The Safi Airbus offers a total of 285 seats, out of which 30 in Business Class, 227 in Economy Class and 28 in the new Premium Economy Class.

'The fleet enlargement of Safi Airways with the A340 – which is the biggest commercial airplane ever operated by an afghan carrier – demonstrates the solid and fast growth of the airline,' he remarked.

'We are very excited as the Kabul – Frankfurt route has been received so well from the beginning. Passenger load in the past as well as advanced bookings continuously exceed our expectations,' he added.

'With the A340 we show our confidence in this extremely important intercontinental route. With this modern aircraft and the new premium economy class we will offer even better comfort and service as before; hence it’s great value for money.'

'Safi Airways is now positioning itself as the leading international airline of Afghanistan. No Afghan airline has ever operated such a large aircraft until date,' he pointed out.

With three non stop flights a week, this route on Safi Airways is used by the large contingent of Afghan nationals living abroad, as well as international diplomats, corporate customers and aid organizations, he added.-TradeArabia News Service