Saha Airlines

Saha Airlines
هواپیمایی ساها
IATA ICAO Call sign
- IRZ SAHA
Founded1990
Operating basesTehran-Mehrabad
Focus citiesAsaluyeh
Fleet size3
Destinations15
Parent companyIslamic Republic of Iran Air Force
HeadquartersTehran, Iran
Websitesahaair.com

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.[citation needed]

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]

In October 2024. the European Union sanctioned Saha Airlines in response to Iran’s shipments of missiles and drones to Russia for the war in Ukraine.[3]

Destinations

Saha Airlines serves the following destinations (as of April 2023):[citation needed]

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 Hub
Yazd Shahid Sadooghi Airport

Fleet

Current fleet

Saha Airlines Boeing 737-300

As of March 2024, the Saha Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft:[4]

Saha Airlines Fleet
Aircraft In service Orders Notes
Boeing 737-300 3 —
Boeing 747-200F 1 — Cargo
Total 4 —

Former fleet

A former Saha Airlines Boeing 707-300 in 2011.

Saha Airlines formerly also operated the following aircraft types:[4]

Saha Airlines Former Fleet
Aircraft Year Retired Notes
Airbus A300-600 2012 transferred to Meraj Airlines
Boeing 707-300[1] 2019 Crashed in 2019 while on a cargo flight. Was the last commercial 707 in service.
Boeing 747-100F 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.[5]
  • On 14 Jan 2019, a Boeing 707 freighter crashed near Karaj, Iran[6] 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.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Last B707 operator Saha Air suspends operations once more". ch-aviation.ch. Retrieved April 21, 2013.
  2. ^ "Saha Airlines Boeing 707 mistakenly lands at Fath Airport, Iran". Tinnews. 2024-07-03. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
  3. ^ "EU targets 14 Iranian individuals and entities for providing missiles to Russia". Euronews. 2024-10-14.
  4. ^ a b "Saha Air Lines Fleet Details and History". www.planespotters.net. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  5. ^ Saha Air Flight 171 crash report
  6. ^ "سقوط هواپیما حوالی صفادشت تهران".
  7. ^ Karimi, Nasser; Gambrell, Jon (14 January 2019). "Cargo plane crash in Iran kills 15, leaves 1 survivor". AP News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 25 April 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2019.

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