___ Afghan Airlines, carrier to the Mideast

ARIANA

This national airline is named after a historical region that once spanned parts of present-day Afghanistan and Iran. Its logo features a golden eagle in flight.

This clue is looking for the name of Afghanistan’s national airline, which serves routes to the Middle East. "Ariana" fits perfectly as the answer—it’s the well-known carrier (officially Ariana Afghan Airlines) and the blank space hints at a five-letter word starting with "A." The name might sound familiar because it’s also a common Persian female name, but here it’s purely referencing the airline.