Iran Air Tours

History

The airline was established in 1973 by Iran Air and started scheduled operations in the early 1990s with services for its domestic tours division. Beginning in the early 1990s and continuing into the early 2010s, Iran Air continued to use American and Western European-made aircraft, while Iran Air Tours operated Soviet-made aircraft, primarily the Tupolev Tu-154M. For a brief period, the Yakovlev Yak-42D was also operated. The airline was the launch customer for Iranian-assembled version of the Ukrainian-designed Antonov 140 turboprop. Due to unpublicized reasons, the carrier did not accept deliveries of the type. Iran Air Tours was also to have received several Tupolev Tu-204SM (the much modernized version of the Tupolev Tu-204) aircraft. As of April 2014, these aircraft had not been delivered due to the United States economic embargo against Iran.

With the February, 2011 grounding of all Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft in Iran, Iran Air Tours was faced with loss of its primary type. A number of used McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series aircraft (primarily MD-82s) were brought online. For a brief period in 2006-2007, two Airbus 300 aircraft were operated but these were transferred to the parent Iran Air. Two Airbus A320-200s were also operated for a few months in 2012 and an Airbus A310 joined the fleet the same year. Two Boeing 737 Classics were added to the fleet in 2016.

Destinations

As of July 2016 Iran Air Tours operates scheduled services to the following destinations:

Current fleet

As of December 2016 the Iran Air Tours fleet consists of the following aircraft:

Previously operated

Airbus A300

Airbus A310-300

Airbus A320-200

Tupolev Tu-154M

Yakovlev Yak-42D

Accidents and incidents

As of December 2016, Iran Air Tours has had three fatal aircraft crashes (and another two non-fatal accidents).

8 February 1993

Tehran mid-air collision. A Tupolev Tu-154M was departing on a non-scheduled flight from Mehrabad International Airport, Tehran, to Mashhad International Airport when it collided in mid air with a Sukhoi Su-24 fighter of the Iranian Air Force that was on approach to the same airport. The collision killed 133 people – both pilots of the Su-24 and all 12 crew members and 119 passengers on board the Tu-154.

12 February 2002

Flight 956, a Tupolev Tu-154M, crashed into the Sefid Kooh mountains during heavy rain, snow and dense fog while descending for Khorramabad Airport. All 12 crew members and 107 passengers were killed.

1 September 2006

A Tupolev Tu-154M, operating as Flight 945 from Bandar Abbas Airport with 11 crew and 137 passengers on board, burst into flames upon landing at Mashhad International Airport in Iran, killing 28 of those on board.