Afghan Biographies

Habibi, Mahmood Shah


Name Habibi, Mahmood Shah
Ethnic backgr. Pashtun
Date of birth
Function/Grade Asia Consultancy Group (ACG) official
History and Biodata

2. Previous Functions:
Rise Engineering Company Admin and Finance Officer (200701-200804)

Paiwastoon Networking Services / USAID / ASMED (200804-200809)

Business Development Officer
 ICAO Administrative / Executive Officer (200809-201102)
counseling the Afghanistan Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation (MOTCA) (2011-201310)
Deputy Director General “Operations” Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority (201310-201706)
Director General Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority ACCA (20170531, 20180121, 20190102)

3. Biodata:
Mahmoud Shah Habibi holds a Master degree in Aviation Management from the Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. He has completed the Airport Management Professional Accreditation Program and has received as the first Afghan the International Airports Professional “IAP” designation from International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and Airport Council International (ACI).
Mahmood Shah Habibi was working as a Deputy Director General on a Deputy Minister Rank for the newly constituted Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority (ACAA) in 2013. Habibi was responsible for all of the civil aviation activities in the country such as Airports operations and Development, Air Traffic Management including Afghanistan’s Airspace Control, Aviation Security, Flight Safety Oversight of both national and international airlines flying into Afghanistan, Communication Navigation Surveillance (CNS), Civil Aviation Institute and Meteorology Department of Afghanistan.

Habibi had also served as the deputy minister for operations at the Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority and has also worked as FAA management specialist at Federal Aviation Administration.(20170531)

Mahmood Shah Habibi, the former Afghan Aviation Authority Chief who had recently travelled to Afghanistan is missing since August 10,  2022. Ahmad Shah, Habibi’s brother said. He has been working as an advisor with a telecom company in Shash-Darak of Kabul for the last 3 years and he did not have any issues being in Afghanistan after the fall of the country in the hands of Taliban. He used to travel between Afghanistan and the United States in the last 12 months without any problem, but the last time he travelled in August 2022 was detained by the Taliban’s forces from his home in Shairpur. Not only Habibi, but 29 other employees of the same company were also arrested on the same day, many of whom were later released.

A close source to the Taliban’s administration who does not want to be named confirmed that on August 10, the Intelligence Department arrested Mahmood Shah Habibi, the Afghanistan’s former Aviation Authority Chief with several other employees of Asia Consultancy Group (ACG), an Afghan-American company that works in the telecom sector.

Habibi speaks Dari and English.

Last Modified 2022-10-05
Established 2016-06-24