K4 KZA
SAX Headquarters Almaty Ceased operations 1996 | KZA
SAX KAZAKH Founded 1992 | |
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Operating bases | ||
Kazakhstan Airlines was an airline from Kazakhstan, serving as national flag carrier of the country from its independence in 1991 until 1996, when this role was transferred to Air Kazakhstan following the disaster of Flight 1907.
Contents
History
The Dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 also affected its state-owned airline, Aeroflot. The Kazakh division (which can be traced back to the mid-1920s) was transformed into Kazakhstan Airlines, with scheduled flights from its base at Almaty International Airport being launched in 1992. It inherited a fleet of the following aircraft types:
In February 1994, a single Western built airliner was put into service: a Boeing 747SP.
Accidents and incidents
Kazakhstan Airlines was involved in the Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision, which occurred on 12 November 1996 and—with its 349 fatalities—marks one of the deadliest air disasters in history. A Kazakhstan Airlines Ilyushin Il-76, operating as Flight 1907, collided with a Boeing 747-100 of Saudi Arabian Airlines. Investigation into the accident revealed that the pilots of Flight 1907 had descended from their assigned altitude, which was attributed to poor training and non-sufficient English language skills. As a consequence, the government of Kazakhstan declared that Kazakhstan Airlines was bankrupt, transferring its assets to newly founded Air Kazakhstan.
There were another four accidents resulting in an aircraft of Kazakhstan Airlines being written-off, none of which resulted in any reported fatalities: