ALF Alsland

ALF Alsland

IATA ICAO Callsign AZ AAS ALF Alsland
Founded	14 November 1928 (1928-11-14)
Commenced operations	30 January 1929 (1929-01-30)
Hubs	Wottested-Yndyk Yndyk Súdlikthús
Focus cities	Rahu
Frequent-flyer program	Doarst
Alliance	UnitéCéleste
Subsidiaries	Air Yndyk ALF Alsland Cargo Neevenline Ralind
Fleet size	72
Destinations	TBD
Parent company	ALF Group
Headquarters	Wottested, Alsland
Key people	Leho Sokk (CEO)
Employees	28,800
Website	www.alf-alsland.com

ALF Alsland, legally Aalslânsk loftferfier - Aalslân/Aalsmaa (lit. Alslandic Air Transport - Alsland) is the flag carrier of Alsland. It is headquartered in Wottested where its main hub at the nearby Wottested-Yndyk International Airport. It also operates a hub at the smaller Yndyk Súdlikthús Airport. Founded in 1928, it is the oldest airline in Alsland and a founding member of the UnitéCéleste alliance and operates several dozen international routes and seasonal destinations to many countries.

The airline was founded in 1928 to transport goods for the Alslandic government during the opening stages of the Great War and to facilitate faster transportation in and out of the Neeves regions of Alsland which were difficult to reach by road. The airline's assets and aircraft were seized by the Grand Alliance to prevent them from being captured by advancing Gaullican forces. The airline's commercial services recommenced following the war when the airline began passenger flights primarily between Rahu, Wottested, Yndyk and other Neeven regions. The first international services began when Alslandic External Air Service was forcefully merged with ALF by the Alslandic government in 1943. Services were disrupted during the Valduvian-Weranian War. On 19 June 1962 the airline began its first jet services and replaced its aging fleet with new jet aircraft shortly afterwards.

In the 1990s the Airline expanded to more intercontinental destinations and launched the then longest flight in the world to Khmelnytskyi as a publicity stunt in 1994 before closing the route several months later. The airline's financial status was called into question in 2002 after the ALF Alsland heist which was the largest joint-robbery in Alslandic history at the time as well as the airline's bloated and ageing fleet. In 2006 the airline was nationalised to prevent an imminent bankruptcy and went through a period of restructuring including the creation of various subsidiary airlines such as the low-cost carrier Ralind, despite this. The airline was partially privatised once again in 2009 when it created the ALF group consisting of the airline and its subsidiaries, although the government of Alsland maintains a 51% stake within the ALF Group. Since the airline's restructuring its finances have recovered and the airline turned a significant profit between 2018 and 2022 as well as the expansion of several of its subsidiaries and the creation of the long-haul Air Yndyk in 2019.

Fleet

Current fleet

ALF Alsland group fleet

Aircraft	In service	Orders	Passengers				Notes
			J	W	Y	Total
Airbus A220-300	45	—	20	—	128	148
Airbus A350-900	7	—	30	26	265	321
De Havilland Dash 8-400	15	3	—	—	76	76	All operated in conjunction with Neevenline.
Embraer 175	5	7	—	—	110	110	Two aircraft operated in conjunction with Neevenline.
ALF Alsland cargo fleet
Boeing 747-400ERF	2	—	Cargo

Fleet development

The mainline fleet of ALF has consisted of primarily Airbus aircraft since 2003. The airline's short-haul fleet used to extensively operate using the Boeing 737 until 2000 when the decision was made to replace its 737 fleet with variants of the Airbus A320 family, it was the largest operator of the Airbus A318 until the airline retired its A320 family fleet in favour of the Airbus A220-300. Its long-haul fleet had been mixed until it replaced its McDonnell Douglas MD-11 and McDonnell Douglas DC-10 fleet with a modern fleet of Airbus A330 in 2006, it transferred its A330 family to Air Yndyk in 2020 with the replacement Airbus A350-900 being introduced as it was deemed more fuel efficient for the airline.

ALF has expressed interest in the Airbus A321XLR to operate on long range routes which do not have the demand for service on the Airbus A350-900, includes services to Bahia, in particular Mambiza as well as Dezevau. The Airline operates some of these long-haul medium-demand routes using the Airbus A220-300 such as its seasonal service to Evazeh as well as its year-long services to Zahedan, Izidhar al-Mina and Adunis.

The airline also operates an extensive regional fleet in conjunction with its subsidiary Neevenline which primarily operates short-haul services in the Neeves in Alsland, Estmere, Borland, Werania and Valduvia. Its regional fleet consists of mainly the turboprop De Havilland Dash 8-400 and the Embraer 175 on higher demand routes.

ALF Alsland Cargo operates two Boeing 747-400ERF, the largest aircraft in the Airline's fleet. The Airline uses the two aircraft on regularly scheduled cargo flights as well as specially chartered cargo flights such as for the Community of Nations and charity organisations.

Services

Cabin

Business cabin onboard a Airbus A350-900

Premium Economy cabin onboard a Airbus A350-900

Economy cabin onboard a Airbus A220-300

Accidents and incidents

• On 23 December 1955, ALF Alsland Flight 43 crashed into a mountain in the Neeves during a Blizzard. The Convair 340 was operating its maiden commercial flight for the airline and was enroute from Súdlikthús to Newick when the aircraft experienced a controlled impact with a mountain whilst on approach to the airport. An investigation after the accident found that the pilot was intoxicated throughout the flight and the co-pilot did not challenge the pilot's ability to fly the aircraft. 25 passengers and 2 crew members were killed in the crash with the sole survivor being the aircraft's air stewardess who was thrown from the aircraft when the tail section detached on impact. She was rescued two days later when rescue crews located the still intact tail section and cut her free.
• On 28 January 1983, an ALF Alsland McDonnell Douglas DC-10 registered as (registered OE-LFO) and operating as ALF Alsland Flight 2273 from Morwall to Yndyk came down a kilometre short of Runway 08L whilst landing at Yndyk Súdlikthús under blizzard conditions. The aircraft impacted trees before crashing across the Valterswei and impacting a car, the aircraft came to a rest just on the edge of the approach lights to the airport. The aircraft then caught fire during its impact with the forest, none of the 152 passengers or crew were killed but one person in the car impacted by the aircraft was fatally wounded and died whilst being transported to the hospital. 148 people sustained injuries including two on the ground. The accident was blamed on an issue with the aircraft's navigation system which failed on approach and gave the crew a false impression on their location in relation to the runway during their final approach into the airport.
• On 14 June 2002, two ALF Alsland flights, ALF Alsland Flight 18 from Verlois and ALF Alsland Flight 2034 from Nedrohari were both carrying large cargos of diamonds and jewellery. Shortly after landing the diamond cargo of both aircrafts was stolen. Approximately €92,000,000 worth of diamonds and jewellery was stolen during the heist, the vast majority of which has yet to be recovered. Approximately 20 people have been arrested in connection to the crime although all bar one was released without charge. Voldemar Pihlak subsequently vanished after being escaping police custody several weeks following his arrest and has since remained missing despite being named as the most wanted person in Euclea for several years for his participation in the heist. The heist remains the largest ever to have occurred in Alsland and one of the largest in Euclea. After the heist the airline was sued by various jewellers who accused the airline of failing to sufficiently protect their cargo, the airline in return countersued the jewellers for defamation. The issue was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum of money.