Iran has several private and public airline companies in operation. The oldest is the Iranian Airways Company, founded in 1944 (known as Iran Air since 1961).

As of June 2009, Iranian planes fly 45 international flight routes. Most of the fleet of Iranian airlines today consist of old Boeings and used or leased Airbus and regional jets such as British Aerospace 146 and ATR 72 and Fokker 100.[1] Economic sanctions from the United States prevents Iran from purchasing most new western made aircraft to update its rapidly aging fleet. This has resulted in a series of ongoing disasters and incidents.[2] Because of this, in the last 25 years there have been 17 plane crashes, and 1500 deaths (From 2000 to 2006, 11 Iranian plane crashes claimed about 700 lives).[3][4]

Iran has initiated manufacturing aircraft on its own such as the IR.AN-140.[5] A number of 108 airliners have been added to the fleet of Iranian passenger planes during the last five years.[6] As of July 2015, Iran had 251 commercial planes with 41,218 seats and 6 cargo planes, many (around 100) of which are not functional because of a lack of spare parts.[citation needed] In 2021, Iranian media reported than 50% of Iran's fleet is grounded because of lack of spare parts and other technical problems.[7]

In 2016, Iran announced its intention to buy over 200 heavy airplanes from Boeing and Airbus at a cost of more than $50 billion.[8] This, in addition to more planned orders of 100 medium-range planes to Japan's Mitsubishi, Brazil's Embraer and Canada's Bombardier.[citation needed] Iran says these deals include authorization to maintain these planes inside of Iran, including the production of parts and training.[9][10]

Iran plans to buy 400 passenger planes by 2025 worth some $20 billion, if US sanctions are lifted.[11][12]

During the summer of 2023 Iran had a scarcity of available plane tickets.[13]

In 2026 the minimum fleet size became 5 aircraft

Commercial airlines

AirlineImageIATAICAOCallsignFoundedHubNotes
Air1AirINAINAAVICENNA2023Tehran–Mehrabad
Air Parsiana2025Planned[14]
Air Shiraz2025Planned
Ana Air2021
Anna Airlines2017
Asa JetEPSJTASA JET2018Tehran–Mehrabad
Ardabil Airlines2022Ardabil Airportmay be defunct[15]
Arta Airlines2022Or Arta Air[16]
Atlas Air2025First Air Taxi in Iran[17]
AVA AirlinesAXVAVA2024[18]
ATA AirlinesI3TBZATAAIR2010Mashhad, Tabriz, Tehran–Imam Khomeini, Tehran–Mehrabad
Caspian AirlinesRVCPNCASPIAN1993Mashhad, Tehran–Imam Khomeini, Tehran–Mehrabad
Chabahar Airlines-IRUCHABAHAR1999Tehran–Mehrabad
Diliran Airlines2019
DOT One Airlines2025owned by Alibaba bus company[19]
Fly KishTKNTOUCAN2025
FlyPersiaFPFPIFLYPERSIA2018Shiraz, Tehran–Mehrabad
Iran AirIRIRAIRANAIR1961Tehran–Imam Khomeini, Tehran–MehrabadFlag carrier of Iran
Iran AirtourB9IRBAIRTOUR1973Mashhad, Shiraz, Tabriz, Tehran–Imam Khomeini, Tehran–Mehrabad
Iran Aseman AirlinesEPIRCASEMAN1980Isfahan, Mashhad, Shiraz, Tehran–Imam Khomeini, Tehran–Mehrabad
Ilam Airlines2020s
Jey Air2021?[20]
JSKY Airlines-ISPESPADANA2025ACMI Operator[21]
Karun AirlinesNVIRGNAFT1992Ahvaz, Tehran–Mehrabad
Kish AirY9IRKKISHAIR1989Kish, Mashhad, Tehran–Mehrabad
LAD AIRWAYS??????2025Planned
Mahan AirW5IRMMAHAN AIR1992Tehran–Imam Khomeini, Tehran–MehrabadLargest Iranian airline.
Makran Airlines2005[22]
Mehr AirwaysMEH2025Tehran[23]
Meraj AirlinesJIMRJMERAJ2010Mashhad, Tehran–Imam Khomeini, Tehran–MehrabadOperating for the Government of Iran
Nasim AirlinesNSN2016 (Commenced in 2025)Isfahan Shahid Beheshti International Airport
Navid AirIRI1980[24]
Pars AirPRPRSPARS AIR2015( commenced in 2021)Shiraz, Tehran–Mehrabad
Pouya AirPYPYAPOUYA2008Tehran–Mehrabad
Qeshm AirQBIRQQESHM AIR1996Qeshm, Tehran–Imam Khomeini, Tehran–Mehrabad
Raimon Airways-RAIRAIMON2025Tehran–Mehrabad
Roham Airways2023?Mashhad Shahid Hasheminejad International Airport[25]
Saha AirlinesIRZSAHA1990Tehran–Mehrabad
Sahhand AirlinesDHIRSSAHAND AIR2009
Sepehran AirlinesISSHISHIRAZI2017Mashhad, Tehran–Imam Khomeini, Tehran–Mehrabad
Taban AirHHTBMTABAN AIR2005Mashhad, Tehran–Imam Khomeini, Tehran–Mehrabad
Taftan AirlinesSBTTAFTAN2004Zahedan Airport
Tara Helicopter Company1995Founded as airline with YAK 42 aircraft, rebranded to Tara Helicopter company in 1995[26]
Toos AirlinesIRTTOOS AIR2024Mashhad Shahid Hasheminejad International Airport
Varesh AirlinesVRVRHSKY VICTOR2017Mashhad, Sari, Tehran–Imam Khomeini, Tehran–Mehrabad
Yazd AirwaysDZDYAZD AIRWAYS2022Tehran–Imam Khomeini, Tehran-Mehrabad Yazd Shahid Sadooghi Airport
Zagros AirlinesZVIZGZAGROS2005Mashhad, Tehran–Imam Khomeini, Tehran–Mehrabad

Cargo airlines

AirlineImageIATAICAOCallsignFoundedHubNotes
Atlas Air Cargo2024
Iran Air CargoIRIRAIRAN AIR1961?
Payam Air2FIRPPAYAMAIR1996Karaj-Payam
Pouya Cargo AirPYPYAPOUYA2008Tehran-Mehrabad

Further reading

  • Manoucherians L., Illustrated Directory of civil aircraft of Iran 1924-2022, Top Kit Publishing, vol. 1, ISBN 978-0-578-29194-9.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Iran Airlines Fleet lists". fleet.myaviation.ir
  2. ^ Sara Shams | Tehran | 29 January 2009 Archived 4 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Ladane Nasseri (10 August 2014). "Iran Plane Crashes Outside Tehran Airport, Dozens Dead". Bloomberg.com
  4. ^ "Report details century of fatal air accidents in Iran". payvand.com
  5. ^ "Iran plane manufacturing company can produce 24 plane annually - Irna". Archived from the original on 2008-10-16. Retrieved 2009-07-12.
  6. ^ "Fars News Agency :: Minister: Iran Expanding Fleet of Airliners". Archived from the original on 2012-03-01. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
  7. ^ "50% of Iran's Passenger Fleet Grounded by Technical Problems". 7 December 2021.
  8. ^ "Iran Says U.S. Will Soon Grant Licenses for Boeing, Airbus Deals". www.bloomberg.com. September 18, 2016.
  9. ^ "Boeing, Airbus grant Iran 'maintenance, part manufacturing' rights". 18 October 2016.
  10. ^ "Iran, Airbus to jointly produce plane parts". www.payvand.com
  11. ^ Iran's aviation industry: Back in business?. CNN. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  12. ^ "Aircraft makers salivate over post-sanctions Iran". payvand.com
  13. ^ "برخورد قضایی با سایت‌های غیرمجاز و گران‌فروشی بلیت هواپیما". dolat.ir. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
  14. ^ "Iranian start-up Air Parsiana triggers recruitment drive". ch-aviation. Archived 2025-11-19 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
  15. ^ "Sanctions are a serious obstacle to launching Ardabil Airlines". Archived 2023-05-25 at the Wayback Machine.
  16. ^ "Arta Airlines"
  17. ^ "Iran's First Air Taxi Becomes Operational - Iran Front Page". ifpnews.com. 2025-03-09. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
  18. ^ "AVA Airlines"
  19. ^ "DOT Air"
  20. ^ "Iran's Jey Air Eyes Isfahan base operations"
  21. ^ "JSKY (J-Sky)"
  22. ^ "Markan Air eyes B 737s"
  23. ^ "Mehr Airways"
  24. ^ "Navid Air"
  25. ^ "Roham Airways"
  26. ^ "Tara Airlines"