Saha Airlines Explained

Airline:	Saha Airlines هواپیمایی ساها
Iata:	-
Icao:	IRZ
Callsign:	SAHA
Founded:	1990
Bases:	Tehran-Mehrabad
Focus Cities:	Asaluyeh
Fleet Size:	3
Destinations:	15
Headquarters:	Tehran, Iran

Saha Airlines (Persian: هواپیمایی ساها) is an Iranian airline based in Tehran that operates scheduled domestic flights.

History

The company was established in 1990 as Saha Airline and is wholly owned by the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force. It operates domestic passenger services as well as cargo charters.

Saha Airlines was the last civil operator of the Boeing 707 in the world.^[1]

On 3 May 2013, all flight operations were suspended.^[1] Saha Airlines began operating again in 2017.^[2]

Destinations

Saha Airlines serves the following destinations (as of April 2023):

Country	City	Airport	Notes	Refs
Iran	Ahvaz	Qasem Soleimani International Airport
	Asaluyeh	Persian Gulf Airport
	Bandar Abbas	Bandar Abbas International Airport
	Bushehr	Bushehr Airport
	Isfahan	Shahid Beheshti International Airport
	Kish	Kish International Airport
	Lavan Island	Lavan Airport
	Mashhad	Shahid Hasheminejad International Airport
	Qeshm	Qeshm International Airport
	Rasht	Rasht Airport
	Sari	Dasht-e Naz Airport
	Shiraz	Shahid Dastgheib International Airport
	Tabriz	Shahid Madani International Airport
	Tehran	Mehrabad International Airport
	Yazd	Shahid Sadooghi Airport

Fleet

Current fleet

As of March 2024, the Saha Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft:^[3]

Saha Airlines Fleet

Aircraft	In service	Orders	Notes
Boeing 737-300	3	-
Boeing 747-200F	1	-	Cargo
Total	3	-

Former fleet

Saha Airlines formerly also operated the following aircraft types:^[3]

Saha Airlines Former Fleet

Aircraft	Year Retired	Notes
	2012
Boeing 707-300	2019	Crashed in 2019 while on a cargo flight. Was the last commercial 707 in service.
	2008	transferred to Iran Air Force
Total

Accidents and incidents

• On 20 April 2005, Saha Airlines Flight 171, a Boeing 707-320C, registration EP-SHE, flying from Kish Island, crashed on landing at Mehrabad Airport, Tehran following an unstabilised approach with a higher than recommended airspeed. Gears and/or a tire failed after touchdown and the flight overran the far end of the runway. Of the 12 crew and 157 passengers on board, three passengers were killed.^[4]
• On 14 Jan 2019, a Boeing 707 freighter crashed near Karaj, Iran^[5] The plane was supposed to land at Payam International Airport, but the crew mistakenly landed at Fath Air Base. Of the 16 people on board, only one survived. The aircraft was the last 707 in commercial service worldwide.^[6]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Last B707 operator Saha Air suspends operations once more. ch-aviation.ch. April 21, 2013.
2. Web site: 2024-07-03 . Saha Airlines Boeing 707 mistakenly lands at Fath Airport, Iran . 2024-07-03 . Tinnews . en.
3. Web site: Saha Air Lines Fleet Details and History. www.planespotters.net. 2019-02-23.
4. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20050420-0 Saha Air Flight 171 crash report
5. Web site: سقوط هواپیما حوالی صفادشت تهران.
6. News: Karimi . Nasser . Gambrell . Jon . Cargo plane crash in Iran kills 15, leaves 1 survivor . 25 April 2019 . AP News. Associated Press . 14 January 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190425210453/https://apnews.com/ac693fb74e4840bebcdfc6e90766e3e2 . 25 April 2019. live . en.