Palestinian Airlines

Palestinian Airlines was an airline headquartered in Gaza, State of Palestine[4][6] and based at El Arish International Airport in Arish, Egypt.[7] Fully owned by the Palestinian Authority,[7] it commenced operations in 1995 and offered flights in the Middle East. In 2020, the company was put into liquidation after years of limited operations.[1][5]

For similarly named airline, see Palestine Airways.
Palestinian Airlines
الخطوط الفلسطينية
IATA ICAO Callsign
PF PNW PALESTINIAN
Founded1995
Ceased operationsDecember 2020[1]
HubsEl Arish International Airport
Fleet size2[2]
Destinations2[3]
Parent companyPalestinian Authority
HeadquartersGaza City, Gaza Strip[4]
Key peopleSaad Eddin Kharma, Chairman
Employees8 (as of December 2020)[5]
Websitepalairlines.net

History

The airline was established on 1 January 1995 and started operations in June 1997, with series of charter flights carrying pilgrims to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The flights were operated from Port Said, in northern Egypt. Scheduled services began on 23 July 1997, operating from Arish to Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Palestinian Airlines acquired a second Boeing 727 in addition to an already leased one in May 1998.[8] Shortly after, it transferred its base to Gaza following the opening of the airport in November 1998 and added a number of new routes in the region.[9] By mid-2000, the company was operating to seven destinations, stretching from Larnaca in the west to Dubai in the east.[10] The airline was grounded in October 2000 following the start of the Al-Aqsa Intifada and was forced to move to El Arish International Airport in December 2001, after destruction of the runway by the Israelis in a bombing campaign at its previous base Yasser Arafat International Airport, where it operated limited services.[9]

It stopped its operations in 2005 but resumed limited services in May 2012. It had 98 employees as of March 2007.[7] Palestinian Airlines was wholly owned by the Palestinian Authority but not recognized by the Egyptian Ministry of Civil Aviation.[7] It also was a member of the Arab Air Carriers' Organization.[11]

In summer 2020, a long term leasing agreement for both the airline's aircraft with Niger Airlines ended, worsening its financial situation.[5] As of September 2020, both of the airline's Fokker 50 were offered for sale.[2][12] In December 2020, the liquidation of Palestinian Airlines has been announced as the Palestinian Authority didn't see a positive future perspective, marking the end of its operations.[1][5] At the time of closure, only eight employees remained.[5]

Destinations
A Palestinian Airlines Boeing 727-200 at Dubai International Airport in 1999.
A Palestinian Airlines Fokker 50 in 2012.

Palestinian Airlines served the following destinations as of May 2013:[13][3]

Egypt
Saudi Arabia

Fleet

As of September 2020, Palestinian Airlines' fleet consisted of the following aircraft:[2]

AircraftTotalOrders
Fokker 502—

Former aircraft

The airline previously also operated the following aircraft:

References
  1. ch-aviation.com - Palestinian Airlines goes into liquidation 30 December 2020
  2. "U R G E N T – FOKKER 50 – AVAILABLE FOR IMMEDIATE SALE".
  3. "Palestinian Airlines Time Table". Archived from the original on September 25, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  4. palairlines.net - Contact us retrieved 31 December 2020
  5. aerotelegraph.com - "Palestinians lose their national airline" (German) 31 December 2020
  6. "Palestinian Airlines Airline Profile | CAPA". centreforaviation.com. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  7. "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-04-10. p. 61.
  8. flightglobal.com - Palestinian expands with Boeing 727-200 acquisition 20 May 1998
  9. airlinegeeks.com - Palestinian Airlines: The Homeless Flag Carrier 25 May 2018
  10. Luxner, Larry (8 May 2000). "Palestinians plan cargo terminal at Gaza airport". The Journal of Commerce. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  11. "AACO | Member Airlines". AACO: Arab Air Carriers Organization - الإتحاد العربي للنقل الجوي. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  12. "Palestinian Airlines offers Fokker 50 fleet for sale".
  13. "Palestinian Airlines resumes operations". Archived from the original on March 7, 2014.
  14. airfleets.net - Palestinian Airlines retrieved 31 December 2020

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