Tajik Air (legally ''State Unitary Aviation Enterprise'') (
Cyrillic
, bg, кирилица , mk, кирилица , russian: кириллица , sr, ћирилица, uk, кирилиця
, fam1 = Egyptian hieroglyphs
, fam2 = Proto-Sinaitic
, fam3 = Phoenician
, fam4 = G ...
: ''Таджик Эйр'') is an
airline
An airline is a company that provides civil aviation, air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or Airline alliance, alliances with other airlines for ...
in
Tajikistan
Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...
. It has its head office at
Dushanbe International Airport
tg, Фурудгоҳи Байналмилалии Душанбе
, nativename-a =
, nativename-r =
, image = Dushanbe_International_Airport.svg
, image-width = 100
, image2 = Dushanbe Airport.jpeg
, image2-width = 250
, ...
in
Dushanbe
Dushanbe ( tg, Душанбе, ; ; russian: Душанбе) is the capital and largest city of Tajikistan. , Dushanbe had a population of 863,400 and that population was largely Tajik. Until 1929, the city was known in Russian as Dyushambe (r ...
. The airline's main hub is at
Dushanbe International Airport
tg, Фурудгоҳи Байналмилалии Душанбе
, nativename-a =
, nativename-r =
, image = Dushanbe_International_Airport.svg
, image-width = 100
, image2 = Dushanbe Airport.jpeg
, image2-width = 250
, ...
; in the past, it had also retained a secondary focus city at Khujand's
Khudzhand Airport.
History
The first flight of the airline was from
Bukhara
Bukhara (Uzbek language, Uzbek: /, ; tg, Бухоро, ) is the List of cities in Uzbekistan, seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan, with a population of 280,187 , and the capital of Bukhara Region.
People have inhabited the region around Bukhara ...
to Dushanbe on 3 September 1924 by a
Junkers F.13
The Junkers F 13 was the world's first all-metal transport aircraft, developed in Weimar Republic, Germany at the end of World War I. It was an advanced Cantilever#Aircraft, cantilever-wing monoplane, with enclosed accommodation for four passenge ...
aircraft, initiating the development of civil aviation in Tajikistan. The first aircraft appeared in the capital two years earlier than the car and five years earlier than the train. The
Stalinabad
Dushanbe ( tg, Душанбе, ; ; russian: Душанбе) is the capital and largest city of Tajikistan. , Dushanbe had a population of 863,400 and that population was largely Tajik. Until 1929, the city was known in Russian as Dyushambe (r ...
airfield complex was created and the operation of new routes started over the
Pamir mountain ranges. In 1930, a first-class airport was built in Dushanbe. One year later airports were built in
Kulyab
, image_skyline = Kulob 2700 th Anniversary monument - panoramio.jpg
, imagesize =
, image_caption = The 2700th Anniversary monument, Kulob
, image_flag =
, image_seal =
, ...
,
Garm,
Panj, and Dangara where regular flights were operated from Dushanbe. Aviation of Tajikistan developed rapidly as the air fleet expanded. Air transport became an essential branch of the country's national economy. Tajik aviation provided regular connections between the capital and the highland settlements in the hard-to-reach valleys of Vanch, Rushan, Shugnan, Bartang, Yagnob, and others, reducing the travel time of passengers of the mountain regions of the Pamirs, Karategin, blooming valleys of Vakhsh, Hissar by tens or hundreds of times. In March 1937, the Tajik Territorial Department of Civil Air Fleet was formed.
In 1945, the Tajik Department of Civil Air Fleet (TU GVF) received new
Lisunov Li-2
The Lisunov Li-2 (NATO reporting name: Cab), originally designated PS-84, was a license-built Soviet-version of the Douglas DC-3. It was produced by Factory #84 in Khimki, Moscow-Khimki and, after evacuation in 1941, at Tashkent Aviation Pro ...
and
Junkers Ju 52
The Junkers Ju 52/3m (nicknamed ''Tante Ju'' ("Aunt Ju") and ''Iron Annie'') is a transport aircraft that was designed and manufactured by German aviation company Junkers.
Development of the Ju 52 commenced during 1930, headed by German Aeros ...
aircraft. The first flight by the crew of the Li-2 aircraft was operated on the route Stalinabad – Moscow. In the 1950s and 1960s, aviation in Tajikistan was one of the most developed sectors of the national economy of the Republic. From 1951,
Antonov An-2
The Antonov An-2 ("kukuruznik"—corn crop duster; USAF/DoD reporting name Type 22, NATO reporting name Colt) is a Soviet mass-produced single-engine biplane utility/agricultural aircraft designed and manufactured by the Antonov Design Bure ...
s were utilized in the fleet of the Tajik Department of Civil Air Fleet and in 1954
Ilyushin Il-12s were introduced by which the first flight on the route Stalinabad – Sochi was operated. Between 1956 and 1964,
Ilyushin Il-14
The Ilyushin Il-14 (NATO reporting name: Crate) was a Soviet twin-engine commercial and military personnel and cargo transport aircraft that first flew in 1950, and entered service in 1954. The Il-14 was also manufactured in East Germany by VEB ...
,
Ilyushin Il-18
The Ilyushin Il-18 (russian: Илью́шин Ил-18; NATO reporting name: Coot) is a large turboprop airliner that first flew in 1957 and became one of the best known and most durable Soviet aircraft of its era. The Il-18 was one of the world ...
and Antonov An-6 (high-altitude version of the An-2) aircraft joined the fleet, as well as
Mil Mi-4
The Mil Mi-4 (USAF/DoD reporting name "Type 36", NATO reporting name "Hound") is a Soviet transport helicopter that served in both military and civilian roles.
Design and development
The Mi-4 was designed in response to the American H-19 Chick ...
helicopters.
![Tajik Air Tupolev Tu-154M Dvurekov](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Tajik_Air_Tupolev_Tu-154M_Dvurekov.jpg)
Aviators of Tajikistan were always in the front line of development of the socio-economic potential of the country. For the first time in 1959, B.M. Vorobiev landed an aircraft (an An-6) on the ice of the Sarez Lake. In 1960, the first flight on the route Stalinabad – Moscow was operated by an Ilyushin Il-18. The TU GVF's structure was expanded and developed.
In 1959, the Leninabad aviation enterprise was founded and, in a year, the Kulyab airport was established. On March 3, 1960, the passenger terminal and runway were put into operation. The route Stalinabad – Frunze – Alma-Ata – Novosibirsk was opened. In the 1970s and '80s pilots and navigators of the Tajikistan Civil Aviation Authority mastered such aircraft as the
Tupolev Tu-154,
Yakovlev Yak-40,
Antonov An-26 and
Antonov An-28
The Antonov An-28 (NATO reporting name Cash) is a twin-engined light turboprop transport aircraft, developed from the Antonov An-14M. It was the winner of a competition against the Beriev Be-30, for use by Aeroflot as a short-range airliner. It ...
. In 1979 the first flight to Afghanistan was operated by an Il-18 aircraft on a humanitarian mission. In 1984 the automatic reservation system "Sirena" for booking seats on the domestic airlines was introduced. In 4 years the Tajik Civil Aviation Authority changed over to the new conditions of management and planning.
Judging by the efficiency of the Yak-40 and An-28 aircraft utilization, the Tajik Civil Aviation Authority won first place in the USSR's Air Fleet. In the 1990 -1991 period the aircraft-helicopter fleet of the aviation enterprise was expanded with
Ilyushin Il-76
The Ilyushin Il-76 (russian: Илью́шин Ил-76; NATO reporting name: Candid) is a multi-purpose, fixed-wing, four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Union's Ilyushin design bureau. It was first planned as a comm ...
and Tupolev Tu-154M aircraft; and
Mil Mi-8
The Mil Mi-8 (russian: Ми-8, NATO reporting name: Hip) is a medium twin-turbine helicopter, originally designed by the Soviet Union in the 1960s and introduced into the Soviet Air Force in 1968.
It is now produced by Russia.
In addition t ...
helicopters. Central Asia's first "Zardak" transponder was built and air service on the route Dushanbe-Ürümqi was opened.
On 14 January 2019, Tajik Air suspended all operations until November 2019.
[aerotelegraph.com - "Tajik Air: World's eight-oldest airline ceases operations"](_blank)
(German) 16 January 2019 The airline has since restarted operations.
Destinations
Tajik Air serves the following destinations as of November 2019:
Fleet
Current fleet
As of March 2021, the Fleet of Tajik Air consisted of the following aircraft:
Former fleet
Tajik Air had in the past operated a variety of aircraft
*
Antonov An-24
*
Antonov An-26
*
Boeing 737-200
*
Boeing 737-300
*
Boeing 737-400
The Boeing 737 Classic is a series of narrow-body airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the second generation of the Boeing 737 series of aircraft.
Development began in 1979 and the first variant, the 737-300, first flew in Februa ...
*
Boeing 737-500
*
Boeing 737-800
*
Boeing 747SP
*
Boeing 767-300
*
Bombardier CRJ200
*
Junkers F.13
The Junkers F 13 was the world's first all-metal transport aircraft, developed in Weimar Republic, Germany at the end of World War I. It was an advanced Cantilever#Aircraft, cantilever-wing monoplane, with enclosed accommodation for four passenge ...
*
Junkers Ju 52
The Junkers Ju 52/3m (nicknamed ''Tante Ju'' ("Aunt Ju") and ''Iron Annie'') is a transport aircraft that was designed and manufactured by German aviation company Junkers.
Development of the Ju 52 commenced during 1930, headed by German Aeros ...
*
Lisunov Li-2
The Lisunov Li-2 (NATO reporting name: Cab), originally designated PS-84, was a license-built Soviet-version of the Douglas DC-3. It was produced by Factory #84 in Khimki, Moscow-Khimki and, after evacuation in 1941, at Tashkent Aviation Pro ...
*
Mil Mi-8
The Mil Mi-8 (russian: Ми-8, NATO reporting name: Hip) is a medium twin-turbine helicopter, originally designed by the Soviet Union in the 1960s and introduced into the Soviet Air Force in 1968.
It is now produced by Russia.
In addition t ...
*
Tupolev Tu-134A
The Tupolev Tu-134 ( NATO reporting name: Crusty) is a twin-engined, narrow-body jet airliner built in the Soviet Union for short and medium-haul routes from 1966 to 1989. The original version featured a glazed-nose design and, like certain o ...
*
Tupolev Tu-154B
The Tupolev Tu-154 (russian: Tyполев Ту-154; NATO reporting name: "Careless") is a three-engined, medium-range, narrow-body airliner designed in the mid-1960s and manufactured by Tupolev. A workhorse of Soviet and (subsequently) Russian ...
*
Tupolev Tu-154M
The Tupolev Tu-154 (russian: Tyполев Ту-154; NATO reporting name: "Careless") is a three-engined, medium-range, narrow-body airliner designed in the mid-1960s and manufactured by Tupolev. A workhorse of Soviet and (subsequently) Russian ...
*
Xian MA60
*
Yakovlev Yak-40
Accidents and incidents
* On June 17, 1993, an
Antonov An-26 crashed during the flight from
Batumi, Georgia
Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ) is the second largest city of Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast of the Black Sea in Georgia's southwest. It is situated in a subtropical zone at the foot of t ...
to
Baku, Azerbaijan after it got into turbulence. All 33 people onboard died.
* On August 28, 1993, a
Yakovlev Yak-40 crashed on take-off in
Khorugh while on a flight to
Dushanbe
Dushanbe ( tg, Душанбе, ; ; russian: Душанбе) is the capital and largest city of Tajikistan. , Dushanbe had a population of 863,400 and that population was largely Tajik. Until 1929, the city was known in Russian as Dyushambe (r ...
. All 5 crew members and 77 of the 81 passengers died. The aircraft was configured to carry 28 passengers but was severely overloaded. The crew had been forced to take off by armed men.
* On December 15, 1997,
Tajikistan Airlines Flight 3183
Tajikistan Airlines Flight 3183 was a Tupolev Tu-154, Tupolev Tu-154B-1 that crashed on 15 December 1997 on approach to Sharjah Airport in the United Arab Emirates. There was a List of sole survivors of airline accidents or incidents, sole survi ...
, a
Tupolev Tu-154B
The Tupolev Tu-154 (russian: Tyполев Ту-154; NATO reporting name: "Careless") is a three-engined, medium-range, narrow-body airliner designed in the mid-1960s and manufactured by Tupolev. A workhorse of Soviet and (subsequently) Russian ...
crashed at
Sharjah
Sharjah (; ar, ٱلشَّارقَة ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi, forming part of the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area.
Sharjah is the capital o ...
in the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
, due to the landing approach being too low. Of the 86 people onboard, only one survived, Sergei Petrov.
References
External links
*
*
*
Official Website(Archive: 2003–2007)
{{Airlines of Tajikistan
Airlines of Tajikistan
Airlines established in 1924
Former Aeroflot divisions
1924 establishments in the Soviet Union