Kyrgyzstan-based startup Kyrgyz Airlines Plus (KAP.KG) is aiming to launch freighter operations with an A300B4-200F this spring, according to Russian aviation website ATO.ru.
The carrier, established toward the end of 2019, acquired its single, thirty-eight-year-old A300B4-200F (183) from Georgia-based Geo Fly Airways and ferried it to Bishkek (FRU) in November. However, according to ATO.ru, local regulations in Kyrgyzstan previously prohibited airlines from operating aircraft older than twenty-five years. It wasn’t until February that the Kyrgyz government amended that rule to allow for the registration of cargo aircraft younger than fifty years old.
Based on KAP.KG’s website, the carrier intends to operate scheduled and charter flights to and from destinations in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. However, until the European Union removes Kyrgyz airlines from its blacklist, KAP.KG will be banned from operating in its airspace.
Other carriers based in the CIS and Caucasus region have recently been increasingly active in the freighter market. In December, Georgia-based Geo Sky added a fourth 747-200F (23735, ex-Air Atlanta Icelandic) and is looking at 747-400Fs, while Kazakhstan-based Sigma Airlines also added a 747-200F (23737, ex-Kalitta Air) of its own. Azee Air, another Kazakh carrier, also acquired a 747-200F (24399, ex-Air Georgia).
