No sugar-coated stories in Afghan in-flight magazine

Dubai: The in-flight magazine of Safi Airways does not shy away from the facts. Unlike other in-flight publications, which exclusively feature nice travel pieces and eye-catching images, Safi Airways tells things as they are.

Along with various features showcasing the attractions of Safi Airways' other destinations, features include an editorial outlining Afghanistan's heroin problem, local dog fighting and various sites around Kabul, including an empty swimming pool previously used for executions.

"We're giving the real image of the country — we don't want to just publish marketing articles," Claus Fischer, CCO of Safi Airways, told Gulf News.

"We want to show both the beautiful and realistic side of the country.

"We have had a couple of comments on why we're putting Afghanistan in such a bad light, but we're just presenting the truth.

"Why on earth would you say this is the safest place in the earth when it isn't?"

Along with the reality, the publication also highlights the recent successes of the Afghan cricket team and the timeless wonders of Herat. According to Fischer, flights coming from Dubai are made up of 85 per cent expatriates.

These include a mixture of government officials, contractors and aid workers.

Passengers on flights coming from Frankfurt are more seasonal.

During the summer, about 80 per cent of passengers are Afghan nationals living in Europe and going back to see their families.

Tourism numbers are — no surprise here — almost non-existent.

Fischer says if there are ten tourists a year, that would be on the high side.

"The passengers are not shocked because people flying to Afghanistan are not going as tourists to see the sites," he said.

"Most are nationals who live abroad and come to see their families, or coming to work in Afghanistan.

"Most passengers already know the place or have had a security brief before they left."

The magazine, which is in its sixth edition, has been putting out content for just over a year now.

It was first published along with the launch of the Kabul-Frankfurt route.

While flights coming from Frankfurt are able to offer a selection, the airline has to be careful with editorial content on the flights back. "We just have to be sensitive about certain details," Fischer said.

"For example, with the on-board music programme, we had to take off the cover of one of the albums because of what the singer was wearing."

• 85% number of expatriates arriving on Dubai flights
• 80% Afghans arriving in summer from Frankfurt