Mahan Air Explained

Airline:Mahan Air
Persian: {{nq|هواپیمایی ماهان
Iata:W5
Icao:IRM
Callsign:MAHAN AIR
Frequent Flyer:Mahan and Miles
Fleet Size:54[1] [2] [3]
Destinations:44
Parent:Mol-Al-Movahedin Institute
Num Employees:4,719 (2017)[4]
Founded:[5]
Headquarters:Aryashahr, Tehran, Iran
Key People:Hamid Arabnejad, Chairman & CEO[6]

Mahan Airlines, operating under the name Mahan Air (Persian: هواپیمایی ماهان|Havâpeymâyi-ye Mâhân), is a privately owned Iranian airline based in Tehran, Iran.[7] [8] It operates scheduled domestic services and international flights to the Far East, Middle East, Central Asia and Europe. Its main home bases are Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport and Mehrabad International Airport.

History

Early developments

Mahan Air was established in 1991 as a Full-Service Carrier (FSC) and began operations in June 1992 as Iran's first private airline. The name of Mahan is taken from the city of Mahan in Kerman Province. The airline is wholly owned by the Mol-Al-Movahedin Charity Institute.

Three Airbus A300B4 passenger aircraft were acquired in 1999, and in 2002 A310s and A320s joined the fleet. According to the British High Court, three 747-400s were unlawfully taken by Mahan Air from their real owner, Blue Sky Airlines, in 2008, using forged bills of sale. When ordered to bring the aircraft back to Europe, Mahan claimed it could not do so because it was being investigated by the Iranian authorities for fraud, and the aircraft had to be kept in Iran.[9]

Since 2006 Boeing 747-400s, Airbus A300-600s, Avro RJ-100s, and Airbus A340-600s were gradually acquired. The airline started operations from Tehran to Shanghai in 2011, Guangzhou in 2013, and Beijing in 2014.

The airline carried 5.4 million passengers in 2015 with an average load factor of 77%. In mid-2015, it had a fleet of 60 aircraft. It operates scheduled passenger services to international destinations in Europe, the Far East, and the Middle East. Mahan Air has a domestic route network too. The airline commenced Copenhagen and Paris services in the first half of 2016.

Developments since 2011

On 12 December 2011, the U.S. Department of Treasury announced the designation of Mahan Air as a material and transportation supporter of terrorism, "for providing financial, material and technological support to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF). Based in Tehran, Mahan Air provides transportation, funds transfers, and personnel travel services to the IRGC-QF."[10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

On 6 April 2016, Mahan Air was banned from flying over Saudi Arabian airspace.[15]

In 2016, besides Germany and Denmark, Mahan Air started service to Milan and Athens, and to Barcelona the following year. It operated up to 15 weekly flights to China until late 2018.

During the Venezuelan presidential crisis, Mahan Air launched their direct Caracas-Tehran route in April 2019.[16] In January 2019, the German government banned Mahan Air from landing in Germany, where it had formerly served Munich Airport and Düsseldorf Airport, citing Mahan's involvement in Syria and security concerns.[17] [18] France imposed the same ban on 25 March 2019, and Mahan Air was forced to cancel its 4-weekly service to Paris.[19] On 1 November 2019, the Italian government also announced that it would ban Mahan Air flights to the country from 15 December 2019. The move came after United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to Rome, during which he urged Italian officials to stop allowing Iranian airlines to use Italy's airspace.[20] The remaining destinations within the European Union had been Barcelona and seasonally also Athens and Varna since then. However, in April 2020, the airline lost its traffic rights to Spain as well.[21]

According to the BBC, after Iran officially suspended all flights to and from China in 2020, Mahan Air continued flying to China and elsewhere in February and March of that year.[22] The data show that although six flights were used for aid, four others were used to evacuate Iranian citizens from China, and there were a total of 157 additional flights with China from 6 February 2020 to 31 March 2020.[23] Mahan Air was widely blamed for spreading Corona Virus in Iran.[24]

Corporate affairs

Mahan Air is headquartered in Tehran.[25] Its current slogan is "The Spirit of Excellence." Mahan Air loyalty program, called the Mahan Club "Mahan & Miles", includes access to special lounges and dedicated "fast" queues.[26]

Destinations

As of October 2023, Mahan Air operated flights to domestic destinations and international destinations in countries across Asia and Europe. Mahan Air served 45 destinations in 10 countries.[27] [28]

Fleet

Current fleet

, the Mahan Air fleet consists of the following aircraft:[29] [30] [31]

Mahan Air fleet
AircraftIn serviceOrdersPassengersNotes
J Y Total
Airbus A300-600R1 - 24256280[32]
1 - 30247277Acquired in September 2023.[33]
7 - 30269299
4 - 42276318
Boeing 747-4001 - 26436460Reintroduced after 10 years in storage in 2021.
BAe 1469 - - 100100
Embraer ERJ-1452 - - 5050
Fokker 501 - - 5050
Total 32 -

Historical fleet

Mahan Air has operated the following aircraft types:[34] [35]

Mahan Air historical fleet
AircraftTotalIntroducedRetired Notes
320062015
Airbus A300B4519992013
1120092023
1520042023
Airbus A320-200720042014Transferred to Iran Air and Iran Aseman Airlines
Airbus A321-100220042015
BAe 146-300920042015
Boeing 747-300M220082022One aircraft leased to Emtrasur Cargo.
Seized by the U.S. Department of Justice and scrapped in 2024.[36] Second aircraft currently in storage at Mehrabad Airport
Boeing 747-400219972021Both aircraft are currently stored at Imam Khomeini International Airport.
Lockheed L-1011 TriStar2Operated by Sky Gate International Aviation[37]
McDonnell Douglas MD-82120082009
Tupolev Tu-154M219932005
Tupolev Tu-204-120220052006

Incidents

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. https://www.mahan.aero/en/fleet
  2. Web site: Spotlight on the Middle East: Top 10 Biggest Airlines by Fleet Size – Information Design .
  3. Web site: Top 10 biggest Airlines in the Middle East | Myfaresadda .
  4. Web site: هواپیمایی ماهان - درباره ما. www.mahan.aero. fa. About. Mahan Air. 2 June 2017.
  5. Web site: About Mahan Air . 4 January 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140104212817/http://www.mahan.aero/dpage.asp?lang=en-us&pid=165 . Mahan Air. 4 January 2014 .
  6. News: VIP Interview: Hamid Arabnejad . 28 December 2022 . The Business Year . December 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130509094553/http://www.thebusinessyear.com/vip_interview/1544/hamid-arabnejad . 9 May 2013.
  7. Web site: Sales Offices [Iran]]. www.mahan.aero. Mahan Air. Tehran, Iran. 27 December 2022.
  8. Web site: Contact us. www.mahan.aero. Mahan Air. Tehran, Iran. 27 December 2022.
  9. Web site: Mahan Air & Anor v Blue Sky One Ltd & Ors [2011] EWCA Civ 544]. BAILII. 11 May 2011. 7 August 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20150923210933/http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2011/544.html. dead. 2015-09-23.
  10. Web site: Treasury Designates Iranian Commercial Airline Linked to Iran's Support for Terrorism. treasury.gov. United States Department of the Treasury. 12 October 2011. 27 December 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20111016172234/http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg1322.aspx . 16 October 2011.
  11. Web site: Treasury Sanctions Supporters of Iran's Ballistic Missile Program and Terrorism-Designated Mahan Air. 24 March 2016. treasury.gov. United States Department of the Treasury. 27 December 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20160821163722/https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl0395.aspx . 21 August 2016.
  12. Web site: Iran Still Operating U.S.-Sanctioned Airline in Support of Assad, IRGC. Foundation for Defense of Democracies. 17 September 2015. 11 September 2016.
  13. Web site: Foreign Terrorist Organizations . 28 October 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161104023756/http://m.state.gov/md123085.htm . 4 November 2016 . dead .
  14. Web site: EU terrorist list - Consilium. www.consilium.europa.eu. European Council/Council of the European Union. 2 June 2017.
  15. Web site: Saudi Arabia bans Iran's Mahan Air from flying into kingdom - Business - NZ Herald News . 7 April 2016 . 20 April 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160420004908/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11617375 . dead .
  16. News: Iran's Mahan Air launches direct flights to Venezuela. 8 April 2019. 22 May 2019.
  17. News: Mahan Air droht Einflugverbot für Deutschland. 22 December 2018. aero.de. 23 December 2018. de. Mahan Air faces landing ban in Germany.
  18. https://www.newsobserver.com/news/business/article224852960.html Germany bans Iran’s Mahan Air amid security concerns
  19. Web site: Iran's Mahan Air cancels Paris flights over 'sanctions'. 2019-03-19. France 24. en. 2019-11-14.
  20. Web site: Italy bans Mahan's flights. theiranproject.com. 2 November 2019. The Iran Project. 2 November 2019.
  21. https://www.aerotelegraph.com/mahan-air-darf-auch-spanien-nicht-mehr-anfliegen aerotelegraph.com - "Mahan Air also no longer allowed to fly to Spain"
  22. Web site: How an Iranian airline 'helped spread coronavirus'. 2020-05-05. Waked. Bettina. BBC News. BBC News Arabic. en-GB. 2020-05-08.
  23. News: Revealed: How rogue Iran airline spread coronavirus through Middle East. 7 May 2020. Arab News. 7 May 2020.
  24. Web site: How an Iranian airline 'helped spread coronavirus'. 2020-05-05. Waked. Bettina. BBC News. BBC News Arabic. en-GB. 2020-05-08.
  25. Web site: Travel Classes . Mahan Air. 25 May 2014.
  26. Web site: Mahan & Miles - Terms & Conditions . Mahan Air. 25 May 2014.
  27. Web site: Domestic Destinations. mahan.aero.
  28. Web site: International Destinations. mahan.aero.
  29. Web site: Mahan Fleet . Mahan Air . 10 July 2021.
  30. Web site: Airbus orders and deliveries. 30 June 2021. 8 July 2021. Airbus S.A.S.. XLS.
  31. Web site: 2024-04-14 . Mahan Air Fleet Details and History . 2024-04-29 . Planespotters.net . en.
  32. Web site: Mahan Air - Seat Map. www.mahan.aero. 2 June 2017.
  33. Web site: Iran's Mahan Air adds first A340-200 . 2023-10-21 . ch-aviation.
  34. Web site: Mahan Air Fleet. airfleets.net. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130812171627/http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/Mahan%20Air.htm. 12 August 2013. 5 August 2013.
  35. Web site: Mahan Airlines Fleet Details and History. planespotters.net. 5 August 2013. 22 July 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130722091827/http://www.planespotters.net/Airline/Mahan-Airlines. dead.
  36. https://www.ch-aviation.com/news/137669-us-scraps-emtrasur-b747-following-forfeiture ch-aviation.com - US scraps Emtrasur B747 following forfeiture
  37. Web site: Mahan Air JY-SGI (Lockheed L-1011 TriStar - MSN 1234) (Ex N1738D). 2021-12-08. www.airfleets.net. Airfleets aviation.
  38. Web site: Report on the serious incident to Airbus A310-304, registration F-OJHI, on approach to Birmingham International Airport on 23 February 2006 . UK AAIB . 28 December 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120426175207/http://www.aaib.gov.uk/sites/aaib/publications/formal_reports/7_2007_f_ojhi.cfm . 26 April 2012 . dmy-all .
  39. Web site: Ranter. Harro. ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 747-3B3 EP-MNE Kerman International Airport (KER). 2020-11-01. aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network.
  40. Web site: Ranter. Harro. ASN Aircraft accident Airbus A310-304 EP-MNX Tehran-Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA). 2020-11-01. aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network.
  41. Web site: Ranter. Harro. ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 747-3B3 EP-MNE Tehran-Mehrabad Airport (THR). 2020-11-01. aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network.
  42. Web site: Ranter. Harro. ASN Aircraft accident Airbus A310-308 EP-MNP Istanbul-Atatürk International Airport (IST). 2020-11-01. aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network.
  43. Web site: Ranter. Harro. ASN Aircraft accident British Aerospace BAe-146-300 EP-MOF Khark Airport (KHK). 2020-11-01. aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network.
  44. News: 2020-07-23. Iran says Mahan Air passenger plane was 'harassed' over Syria by US fighter jets. USA TODAY. Associated Press. 2020-11-01.
  45. News: 2022-10-03 . Iranian plane arrives safely in China after fake bomb scare . en . Reuters . 2022-10-04.
  46. News: 3 October 2022 . Indian jets scrambled after false bomb scare on flight from Iran . 2022-10-04 . Al Jazeera.
  47. News: Kar . Sharmita . 2022-10-03 . Goswami . Sohini . China-bound Iranian flight with 'bomb threat' spent 40 mins in Indian airspace . 2022-10-04 . Hindustan Times.
  48. News: Sengar . Mukesh Singh . Som . Vishnu . 3 October 2022 . Mitra . Chandrajit . Bomb Scare On Iran Flight In Indian Airspace, Air Force Scrambles Jets . 2022-10-04 . NDTV.
  49. News: Mukul . Pranav . 2022-10-03 . Bomb threat on Iran-China flight while in Indian airspace, IAF jets scrambled . 2022-10-04 . The Indian Express.
  50. News: Iranian football legend Ali Daei says family ordered off flight . 28 December 2022 . Al Jazeera . 27 December 2022.