Khalifa Airways

Infobox Airline
airline=Khalifa Airways
logo=20060409145829_khalifa_airways2.jpg
logo_size=150
fleet_size=37
destinations= 72
IATA=K6
ICAO=KZW
callsign=KHALIFA AIR
parent=Air Algerie
founded=1999
headquarters= Algiers, Algeria
key_people=Abdelmoumene Rafik Khalifa
alliance=NA
hubs=Houari Boumedienne Airport
focus_cities=Oran Es Senia Airport
frequent_flyer=Khalifa Group
lounge=Algiers Lounge
website=

Khalifa Airways ( _ar. Arabic الخطوط الجوية الخليفة) was a passenger and cargo airline based in Algiers, Algeria which was founded in June 1999 by Rafik Khalifa and ceased flying in 2003.

History

Khalifa Airways had stopped most flying by mid-March 2003 after it failed to meet lease payments. In the Arab press that month it was reported that the airline was only operating "a dozen aircraft at the most," out of the 30 it previously had in its fleet. Lufthansa and Pegasus (4 Boeing 737s) reclaimed their leased aircraft, and aircraft on order were cancelled. The Bank of Algeria had appointed an administrator to manage the affairs of Khalifa Bank (also owned by Abdelmoumene Rafik Khalifa), thus denying funds to the airline to meet lease and insurance payments. By April 2003, the 8 remaining aircraft were grounded as insurance contracts expired. The airline was liquidated by a French court on 10 July 2003 after it failed to make a 5 million Euro payment to creditors.

Khalifa Airways is also known for having been the sponsor of the Olympique de Marseille from 2001 to 2003.

On March 22, 2007, the International Herald Tribune reported that the company's founder had been convicted in absentia and sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in the 2003 failure of Khalifa Bank and associated companies, including Khalifa Airways. [http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/03/22/africa/AF-GEN-Algeria-Bank-Trial.php]

Services

In 2002 services included:
*Algiers-Amman-Dubai.
*Algiers-Barcelona.
*Algiers-Basle-Mulhouse.
*Algiers-Casablanca.
*Algiers-Johannesburg.
*Algiers-Lille.
*Algiers-London
*Algiers-Lyon.
*Algiers-Madrid.
*Algiers-Marseille.
*Algiers-Mumbai (in project).
*Algiers-Moroni.
*Algiers-New York-Montreal (in project).
*Algiers-Nantes.
*Algiers-Nice.
*Algiers-New York-Toronto.
*Algiers-Paris.
*Algiers-Seoul.
*Algiers-Tokyo (in project).
*Algiers-Tripoli.
*Algiers-Tunis

And domestic destinations.

Fleet

In 2002 the airline fleet was as follows:

*2 Airbus A300-600 (Cargo)
*10 Airbus A310-300
*4 Airbus A319-100
*4 Airbus A320-200
*5 Airbus A330-300
*3 Airbus A340-300
*4 Boeing 737-400
*2 Boeing 777-200ER
*2 Boeing 747-413
*4 ATR 42
*6 ATR 72
*1 Canadair

External links

* [http://www.khalifaairways-dz.com Khalifa Airways site]
* [http://www.KhalifaStudents.com Khalifa Airways Student Pilots, in memory of Khalifa Airways]