Kam Air

Foundation and early years

Kam Air was the first private commercial airline established in Afghanistan by the owner and founder of Kamgar Group, Zamarai Kamgar, an Afghan businessman. Kam Air's Operator Certificate (AOC Nr. 001) was issued in August 2003 by the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation (MoTCA) of Afghanistan. Kam Air was registered with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) three letter airline code, KMF, International Air Transport Association (IATA) two letter code, RQ and financial code 384.

The first flight of Kam Air was operated from Kabul to Herat and Mazar-i-Sharif in November 2003 with a Boeing 727-200, while the first international flight was inaugurated in May 2004 between Kabul and Dubai.

On 25 January 2013, the United States blacklisted Kam Air citing a United States Army investigation that the airline smuggled opium on civilian flights to Tajikistan, an allegation denied by the airline and the Afghan government. The ban was suspended a month later.

Development since 2020

On 24 February 2021, Kam Air operated Afghanistan's first ever all-female crew flight. The airline's first and so far its only commercial female Afghan pilot, then 22-year-old Mohadese Mirzaee, joined now former Captain Veronica Borysova from Ukraine in piloting the Boeing 737-500 from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul to Herat. The event made global headlines and was first covered by Josh Cahill and later featured on BBC News, Deutsche Welle and the Business Insider. The flight took 90 minutes.

Due to the collapse of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, all civilian services in the country were temporarily suspended on 15 August 2021. Kam Air flew some of its planes to Iran to prevent damage during the turmoil. However, domestic flights restarted on 5 September 2021. International flights were also later resumed.

Partnership with PIA (Sep 2026)

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and Kam Air have signed an interline agreement to improve air connectivity between Afghanistan and destinations in the Middle East. As per the agreement, passengers can book their entire itinerary under a unified reservation, avoiding the need to purchase separate tickets for each leg. Checked luggage from Kabul will be transferred at Islamabad airport to connecting PIA flights, while Afghan travelers heading to the Gulf could bypass immigration clearance in Pakistan as long as they remained airside in transit.

Destinations

As of January 2025, Kam Air serves the following destinations:

Codeshare agreements

Kam Air has codeshares with the following airlines:

Air Arabia

Interline partners

Air India

Accidents and incidents

On 3 February 2005, Kam Air Flight 904, a Boeing 737-200 operated by Phoenix Aviation, flying from Herat International Airport in western Afghanistan, vanished from radar screens on approach to Kabul International Airport in poor weather. The disappearance sparked a massive Afghan army search operation for the 96 passengers and eight crew. The wreckage of the plane was found on 5 February 2005 in the mountains east of Kabul. All 104 people aboard were killed.

On 11 August 2010, Douglas DC-8-63F YA-VIC suffered a tailstrike on take-off from Manston Airport, United Kingdom, destroying an approach light. The aircraft was operating an international cargo flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina, via the Cape Verde Islands. The incident was caused by the aircraft being 25,700 lb (11,700 kg) overweight due to excess fuel load and misestimating of cargo mass. After being informed of the mishap, the crew continued to Cape Verde. An inspection there confirmed the tailstrike, though analysis of the strike indicator showed the plane was still safe. The incident was investigated by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, which made various safety recommendations. Kam Air was subsequently banned from operating within the European Union. The three crew involved were also dismissed, and Kam Air announced that it would withdraw its two DC-8s from service.

In January 2018, Kam Air reported that nine staff members were killed in a Taliban attack on a hotel in Kabul – seven Ukrainian employees and two Kam air employees from Venezuela. Kam Air had rented 50 rooms for their foreign staff at the hotel, described as one of Kabul's "most heavily guarded." Five were pilots, and four were crew members. Afterwards, over 50 of the airline's foreign workers left the country, and by 26 January, five of its nine aircraft sat idle due to lack of staffing. A large number of daily flights were also being canceled for that reason.

On 22 September 2025, a 13-year old stowaway from Afghanistan was discovered on the landing gear compartment of a Kam Air flight that arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi from Kabul. The boy, who said he wanted to travel to Iran out of curiosity but was unaware that he had taken a flight to India, was repatriated on a return flight that same day.