An Iranair Boeing 747-100 lands over the houses at London (Heathrow) Airport
IRAN AIR is the national and international airline of Iran. Its acronym is Homa (هما in Persian), formed from the initial letters of the name in Persian, هواپیمایی ملی ایرانHavapeyma'i-ye Melli-ye Iran.
History
Iran Air was born on February 24, 1962, after Iranian Airways and Persian Air Services joined together, taking the name of Iran Air. Iranian Airways had been the first Iranian flag carrier, when it was formed in 1944. Iran Air soon built a large route structure to the Persian Gulf, Middle East, to Northern Africa, Europe Asia Far East and New York, and a dense domestic network. The first planes used by the company were the Avro York, DC-3, DC-6 and Vickers Viscount.
In 1965, they received their first jet plane, a Boeing 727. The much desired route to New York was opened in 1970 with Boeing 707 aircraft, but those aircraft were later replaced on the route with Boeing 747SP jets in 1976. In the late 1970s, Iran Air was the fastest growing airline in the world. In 1978, the airline bought six Airbus A300-B4 aircraft to be used on its domestic and regional routes.
With the Islamic revolution of 1979, Iran Air had to halt its services to New York, as a consequence of the embargo imposed by the United States. Because of that, the Boeing 747SPs began to be used heavily on the airline's European and Asian routes.
On 3 July, 1988, Iran Air Flight 655 was over the Persian Gulf on its way to the Dubai from Bandar Abbas. According to official documents, when the plane flew near the ship USS Vincennes, the airplane's crew failed to respond to a warning sent from the boat. The ship then fired on the plane, which exploded, killing everyone on board. This tragedy almost caused an international incident. All investigations, reports and documents are indicative of the fact that this tragedy could have been avoided. The United States called the incident a tragic mistake.
A comprehensive public report on the subject, entitled “Sea of Lies”, was published in Newsweek of July 13, 1992 condemning Capt. Will Rogers, the commander of USS Vincennes. The Vincennes, a US Navy cruiser, was, according to the article, equipped with the most sophisticated radar and electronic battle gear in the US Navy.
In 1992, a plane belonging to charter airline Iran Air Tours, a subsidiary of Iran Air, crashed, while landing in Tehran. There were no survivors.
During the 1990s, Iran Air was able to buy Fokker F-100 planes, but, again because of the embargo, this was the only type that joined the fleet during the '90s. In 2001 the airline bought several second-hand Airbus A310 aircraft, when the United States blocked its purchase of new Airbus A330 aircraft.
Today's Iran Air
Iran Air's fleet consists of Boeing, Airbus and Fokker equipment. The airline's livery is an all white fuselage, with Iran Air in dark, block letters above the passenger windows, and a dark blue drawing of a bird named Homa on the tail, with a shade of dark-blue over it. Model airplanes of its fleet are manufactured by Schabak of Germany.
The airline flies to over 30 international destinations in Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
Fatal events since 1970
- January 21, 1980; Iran Air Boeing 727-86; near Tehran, Iran : The aircraft hit high ground in snowstorm during approach. All eight crew members and 120 passengers were killed.
- July 3, 1988; Iran Air Flight 655; Persian Gulf, near Straits of Hormuz: Aircraft was shot down by a surface to air missile from the American naval vessel USS Vincennes (CG-49). All 16 crew and 274 passengers were killed.
- February 8, 1993; Iran Air Tours TU-154; Tehran, Iran: The aircraft was departing on a nonscheduled flight from Tehran-Mehrabad Airport to Khoram Dareh when it was involved in a midair collision with an Iranian Air Force Su-22 that was on approach to the same airport. All twelve crew members and 119 passengers were killed.
- February 12, 2002; Iran Air Tours TU-154; Sefid Kouh mountains outside Khorramabad , Iran : The aircraft hit high ground in the mountains with adverse rain, snow and dense fog at the time of the crash. All fifteen crew members and 105 passengers were killed.
IATA Code
Iran Air uses the IATA designator code IR.
External links
Official website:
Regional Iran Air websites:
Historical reviews:
For a complete history of the airline see:
