Mahan Air
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| Founded | 1992 | ||
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| Hubs | Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport | ||
| Frequent-flyer program | Mahan & Miles | ||
| Fleet size | 36[1] (+2 orders) | ||
| Destinations | 28 | ||
| Company slogan | The Spirit of Excellence | ||
| Parent company | Mol-Al-Movahedin Credit Union | ||
| Headquarters | Tehran, Iran | ||
| Key people | Hamid Arabnejad, (Managing director) | ||
| Website | mahan.aero |
Mahan Airlines, doing business as Mahan Air, (Persian: هواپیمایی ماهان) is a private airline based in the Mahan Air Tower in Tehran, Iran.[2][3] It operates scheduled domestic services and international flights to the Far East, Middle East, Central Asia, and Europe. Its main base is Imam Khomeini International Airport, Tehran, Iran.
Contents
History
The airline was established in 1991 and began operations in 1992 as Iran's first private airline. It joined the IATA in 2001 and is owned by Mol-Al-Movahedin Organisation (96%). As of March 2007 it has 2,511 employees. At its operational launch in May 1993, Mahan Air fleet consisted of two Tupolev 154 aircraft, with a staff of 99 and a route network from Tehran to two domestic destinations. Growth was initiated with the addition of Airbus A300 wide-body aircraft to the fleet in 1999 and the Airbus A310 in 2001.[4] This enabled the airline to reach beyond the regional destinations it served. Its route network now spans 28 destinations in 12 countries with a fleet of 25 Airbus and Boeing 747 aircraft. It holds 13% of all international flights from Iran,[5] and 8% of the domestic market.
Destinations
Fleet
Due to the sanctions imposed by the US government, Iranian airlines can only acquire aircraft which are at least seven years old and have been purchased through a third party rather than directly from Boeing or Airbus. The Mahan Air fleet includes the following aircraft (as of February 2011)[6][7][8]:
Mahan Air Fleet| Type | Total | Seating | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | Y | Total | |||
| Airbus A300B2 | 3 | 20 15 |
236 231 |
256 246 |
A300B2K-3C model |
| Airbus A300B4-100 | 1 | Airbus A300B4-103 model | |||
| Airbus A300B4-200 | 2 | Airbus A300B4-203 model | |||
| Airbus A300-600 | 13 | 24 | 227 232 |
251 256 |
10 A300B4-603 model, 3 A300B4-605R |
| Airbus A310-300 | 9 | 10 12 |
186 190 |
196 202 |
1 (EX-301) operated by Kyrgyz Trans Avia 1 A310-304 (EP-MHO), 6 A310-304(ET), 1 A310-308 (EP-MNP). |
| Boeing 747-300 Combi | 2 | 26 | 412 | 438 | Boeing 747-3B3(M) model |
| Boeing 747-400 | 3 | 44 | 394 | 438 | Boeing 747-422 model EP-MNB and EP-MNC stored at Tehran, EP-MNA has start her operation again, but only domestic between Mehrabad and Mashhad |
| Airbus 310 | Previously operated by the German Government.[9] |
The three 747-400s were according to the British High Court unlawfully taken by Mahan from their real owners in 2008 using forged bills of sale. When ordered to bring the aircraft back to Europe, Mahan apparently claimed they could not do so because they were being investigated by the Iranian authorities for fraud and the aircraft had to be kept in Iran.
Seating data provided from the airline'sofficial site. Other sources (as planespotters.net) give other data.
Safety concerns in 2007
On 11 September 2007, the European Commission added Mahan Air to the list of airlines banned within the EU.[10] The ban was subject to certain limitations; for example, Mahan Air was able to operate aircraft wet-leased from other carriers provided those aircraft met EU regulations, however this ban was lifted on 25 July 2008 in view of the progress made by the carrier, which were verified during an on site inspection in Iran.[11]
Alleged Involvement in 2011 Plot to Assassinate the Saudi Ambassador to the U.S.
On October 12, 2011, the United States Department of the Treasury designated Mahan Air as an entity providing financial, material and technological support to a designated terrorist organization, to wit, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force. The U.S. Government action came in the aftermath of its allegation that the Qods Force had attempted to assassinate Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States, Adel al-Jubeir. The Treasury Department alleged that Mahan Air assisted in carrying out that plot by providing transportation, funds transfers and personnel travel services to the Qods Force:
- “Mahan Air’s close coordination with the IRGC-QF – secretly ferrying operatives, weapons and funds on its flights – reveals yet another facet of the IRGC’s extensive infiltration of Iran’s commercial sector to facilitate its support for terrorism,” said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen. “Following the revelation about the IRGC-QF’s use of the international financial system to fund its murder-for-hire plot, today’s action highlights further the undeniable risks of doing business with Iran.”[12]
The Treasury Department also accused Mahan Air of providing "travel services to IRGC-QF personnel flown to and from Iran and Syria for military training," facilitating "the covert travel of suspected IRGC-QF officers into and out of Iraq by bypassing normal security procedures," and of "not including information on flight manifests to eliminate records of the IRGC-QF travel."[13]
The Treasury Department also accused Mahan Air of transferring arms shipments and funds for the purchase of controlled goods and of providing transportation services for Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.[14]
As a result, all U.S. persons were prohibited from engaging in commercial or financial transactions with Mahan Air and any assets it may hold under U.S. jurisdiction were frozen.[15]
References
- ^ http://www.gartal.com/page/mahanair.aspx
- ^ "Sales Office [Iran]" Mahan Air. Retrieved on February 17, 2011. "Tehran Central Sales office: Mahan Air Tower, Azadegan St., Karaj Highway, Tehran 1481655761- Iran."
- ^ "Contact Us." Mahan Air. Retrieved on February 17, 2011. "Address : Mahan Air Tower, Azadegan St., Karaj Highway, Tehran 1481655761- Iran"
- ^ Arabian Business
- ^ Arabian Business
- ^ Mahan Air Official site, fleet page
- ^ Mahan Air fleet at planespotters.net. Retrieved July 30, 2010
- ^ Mahan Air fleet at CH-Aviation. Retrieved July 30, 2010
- ^ Article in German about the history of this plane. Retrieved November 21, 2011
- ^ EC Press release about the ban of the airline from European airports
- ^ EU takes Iran's Mahan Airlines off blacklist citing "significant" effort to boost safety
- ^ U.S. Treasury Department Press Release: "Treasury Designates Iranian Commercial Airline Linked to Iran's Support for Terrorism"
- ^ U.S. Treasury Department Press Release: "Treasury Designates Iranian Commercial Airline Linked to Iran's Support for Terrorism"
- ^ U.S. Treasury Department Press Release: "Treasury Designates Iranian Commercial Airline Linked to Iran's Support for Terrorism"
- ^ U.S. Treasury Department Press Release: "Treasury Designates Iranian Commercial Airline Linked to Iran's Support for Terrorism"
External links
Media related to Mahan Air at Wikimedia Commons
- (English) (Persian) Mahan Air official website
- (English) Mahan Air UK
- Mahan Air Fleet list
- Mahan Air photos
| v · d · eAirlines of Iran | ||
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| Scheduled passenger airlines |
Aria Air · Ata Air · Caspian Airlines · Chabahar Airlines · Eram Air · Fars Air Qeshm · Iran Air · Iran Air Tours · Iran Aseman Airlines · Kish Air · Mahan Air · Qeshm Air · Saha Air Lines · Zagros Air · Taban Air |
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Aban Air · Parsair · Payam Air · Saffatt Airlines · Yas Air |
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Arsh Air · Ferdowsi Air · Pasargad Airlines |