Iran Air (Persian: ایران ایر) or locally known as (Persian: هواپیمائی جمهوری اسلامی ایران) or Airline of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the flag carrier airline of Iran, operating services to 60 destinations, 35 international and 25 domestic. The cargo fleet operates services to 20 scheduled and 5 charter destinations. Its main bases are the Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport for international flights and Tehran Mehrabad Airport for domestic flights . It is headquartered on the grounds of Mehrabad Airport in Tehran.
Its acronym, Homa (Persian: هما), is derived from two sources: the initial letters of the name in Persian: هواپیمایی ملی ایران Havapeyma'i-ye Melli-ye Iran; and from Homa, a griffin of Persian mythology.
Recent news reports by Press TV claim that the Iranian government plans to privatize Iran Air with its subsidy carrier Iran Air Tours along with the Homa Hotel Group.
In the wake of the Iranian Revolution in February 1979, Iran Air began to reorganize its international operations, discontinuing service to a range of foreign destinations. Tehran was designated as the only official gateway to Iran, while Shiraz could be used as an alternate, only in case of operational requirements. All other cities in Iran lost their international status. However, in recent times, many of Iran's major city airports have regained a minor international status. These direct international flights using airports in other major Iranian cities currently serve regional countries.
The last departure from New York was on 7 November 1979. The last scheduled flight from Tehran to New York City on 8 November 1979 was diverted at the last minute to Montreal, prompted by an embargo suddenly imposed by the U.S. government. Subsequently, the Boeing 747SPs were used on the airline's European and Asian routes. In 1978, the first of six new Airbus A300B2s joined the fleet.
After the start of the Iran–Iraq War in September 1980, Iran Air's domestic and international operations were often subject to cancellation and irregularity, in line with the wartime situation. This continued until August 1988, when a cease-fire agreement took effect. Right from the start of the Iran–Iraq War, Abadan, the gateway to Iran's oil-producing region, lost all its air links, because the airport had to be closed.
The year 1981 saw the name of the airline changed to The Airline of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iran Air carried 1.7 million passengers in that year. In 1990, the first of six Fokker 100 jets was added to the fleet and five more were added later on. In 2001, the airline bought six second-hand Airbus A310 aircraft (five -200 and one -300 series), since the U.S. authorities blocked the planned purchase of any new Airbus A330 units. In 2005, the carrier bought two Airbus A300-600s from Olympic Airlines. In the wake of the growing tension, between the U.S. and Iranian governments, over Iran's nuclear program, the plan to supply Boeing spare parts or aircraft, to upgrade the aging fleet of Iran Air, was blocked by the USA and members of the EU. However a new agreement between Iran and the United States at the end of 2006, has changed that and allowed an overhaul of Iran Air's fleet. The airline is wholly owned by the Government of Iran and has 7,500 employees.
On 5 July 2010, an aviation official for Iran accused the U.K., Germany and the United Arab Emirates of refusing to refuel Iranian passenger jets. This move follows unilateral sanctions imposed by the US over the nuclear conflict. Iran Air and Mahan Air both claim to have been denied refuelling. A spokewoman for Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) said that there is a contract with Iranian passenger flights to refuel the aircraft and will continue to do so. A spokesperson for the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority said that it is down to independent suppliers if planes are to be fueled or not. Germany's Transport Ministry said the refuelling of Iranian planes was not banned under EU or UN sanctions but did not say whether any independent refuellers were denying refuelling. Later in the day, Dubai revealed that they too continue to refuel Iranian passengers flights in and out of Dubai. The next day, a spokeperson for Iran said that no such limitation had been imposed.
On 6 July 2010, it was announced that the European Commission would ban all of Iran Air's Airbus A320, Boeing 727 and Boeing 747 fleet from the EU over safety concerns. This move will come as a major blow to Iran Air, limiting flights to Europe with their own aircraft.
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