Simple Flying recently reported that Iran Air is increasing its capacity between London and Tehran, with up to four weekly flights between the capital cities. In fact, according to Flight Connections, the Iranian flag carrier currently serves 17 international destinations between many nations spread out between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East (according to other sources, they may operate as many as 30 to 35 international destinations).
This may be underwhelming compared to other carriers in the region, but with the sanctions and restrictions placed on airlines in the country, building up a fleet and route network isn’t so simple. Their aircraft are based between two airports in Tehran: Imam Khomeini International Airport (International operations) and Mehrabad International Airport (Domestic operations). But how did Iran Air grow to become the carrier it is today?
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Two airlines merged to become the airline we know as Iran Air
Called “The Airline of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” or “Homa” domestically, Iran Air is the oldest airline in the nation. However, its original name, dating back to May 1944, was the Iranian Airways Company. Just after World War II, with a small fleet of Douglas DC-3s, DC-4s, and Vickers Viscounts, the Middle Eastern Airline began domestic passenger operations, with their first flight from Tehran to Mashhad, and cargo flights to Europe.
Iranian Airways developed into a robust regional airline, focusing mainly on domestic service with limited international routes. During their journey, in 1954, another carrier named Persian Air Services was founded, focusing primarily on international passenger and cargo operations to Europe.
Iran is, especially among Middle Eastern nations, a vast country. Unfortunately, in the 1950s and 60s, despite its size and various cities dotting the land, it was rather poorly connected by rail and road, yet the government realized people would need a way to get from one town to another quickly. As a result, on February 24th, 1961, leaders established a national airline by merging Iranian Airways and Persian Air Services, forming Iran Air, and the name has stayed.
Fleet and some corporate actions since inception
As recently published, Iran Air’s fleet is currently an exciting mixture of new and old aircraft from Airbus, ATR, and Fokker, plus a single Boeing jet, another side effect of significant sanctions. While this makes the carrier particularly interesting from an avgeek’s point of view, they have a history of flying a large variety of popular airliners.
For example, Iran Air was one of the first carriers to order and a primary operator of the Boeing 747SP, though they have flown many other variants of the jumbo jet. Other aircraft from Lockheed, de Havilland, McDonnell Douglas, and many smaller Boeing airliners have seen service at the major Iranian airline.
As a company, Iran Air became the parent of many other large national firms over the years. As it relates to aviation, they have a freighter arm known as Iran Air Cargo, using the Boeing quadjet still with the airline mentioned above. Additionally, Mashhad International Airport-based Iran AirTour is a low-cost carrier that began passenger operations in 1990, almost all domestic plus a few international routes. Lastly, there’s the Homa Hotel Group, a chain that owns some of the nicest hotel facilities in Tehran, Shiraz, Bandar Abbas, and Mashhad.
Have you ever flown with Iran Air before? Let us know your experience in the comments below!
Sources: Iran Air, Flight Connections