Iran Airtour

Iran Airtour is one of Iran's private airlines, established in 1973 by Iran Air ( Persian:هواپیمایی جمهوری اسلامی ایران ) with the aim of launching tours to the cities of Iran and different countries in addition to Iran's national airline. From 1982, Iran Airtour Airline started scheduled domestic tours from all over Iran to the holy city of Mashhad. Two years later, Airline started to develop foreign tours to countries such as China, UAE, India, Singapore and Malaysia.

In addition, it is aimed at developing tourism and attracting tourists from other countries by organizing seminars with the company managers and officials of tourist companies. As a result, the airline was awarded honors from various countries such as Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Switzerland, Austria, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait.
Iran Airtour's flight activity as an independent airline started in 1992 in Mashhad, which became the operations center of the airline. A direct air link from Mashhad to the centers of 13 provinces ensued. Iran Airtour Airline was also responsible for operating 55% of flights from different cities to the Holy City of Mecca for pilgrimage, as well as regional flights with 19 aircraft to Damascus, Stockholm, Moscow, and Ashgabat.

Until 2010, Iran Airtour was one of the state-owned airline companies in Iran, but subsequently in accordance with Article 44 of the Constitutional law, ownership was assigned to Hesayar Co., a subsidiary of the Iranian Ministry of Defense. Because four of five consecutive payment checks from Hesayar Co. were returned for insufficient funds, the original assignment was canceled. After another auction in 2016 the airline's was conceded to the private sector.[2]

Iran Airtour Airbus A300 at Mehrabad International Airport (2008)

McDonnell Douglas MD-82 of Iran Airtour at Istanbul Atatürk Airport (2018)

McDonnell Douglas MD-80 jetliner series of Iran Airtour at Istanbul Atatürk Airport (2018)

As of May 2019 Iran Airtour operates scheduled services to the following destinations.[3]

From Mashhad

From Tehran

From Tabriz

As of 2020 May 14 the Iran Airtour fleet consisted of the following aircraft.[4][5]

As of 1993, Iran AirTour has had three fatal aircraft accidents.

• On February 8, 1993, a Tupolev Tu-154, Iran Airtour Flight 962, shortly after departure from Tehran International Airport, crashed into a Sukhoi Su-24 fighter of the Iranian Air Force which was landing. In this accident all 133 people – both pilots of the Su-24 and Tu-154 with all 12 crew members and 119 passengers on board lost their lives. Main guilty of this accident was Sukhoi Su-24 fighter's pilot.[6]

• On February 12, 2002, a Tupolev Tu-154, Iran Airtour Flight 956, flying from Tehran to Khorramabad crashed into the Sefid Kooh mountains during heavy rain, snow and dense fog. All 12 crew members and 107 passengers lost their lives.[7]

• On September 1, 2006, a Tupolev Tu-154, Iran Airtour Flight 945, flying from Bandar Abbas to Mashhad, with 11 crew and 137 passengers on board, burst into flames upon landing at Mashhad International Airport, 28 out of the 148 passengers and crew lost their lives.[8]

• List of airlines of Iran

1. https://www.zoomg.ir/2019/3/27/302707/iran-air-tour-info/
2. https://ipo.ir/index.jsp?pageid=1266
3. https://iranairtour.ir/destinations
4. https://iranairtour.ir/fleet
5. https://www.cannews.aero/بخش-سوانح-حوادث-3/3144-برخورد-توپولف-ا
6. https://www.airlinepress.ir/46920/بازخوانی-سقوط-توپولف-۱۵۴-ایران-ایرتور-3/
7. http://www.hormoz.ir/۱۰شهریور-۱۳۸۵-سانحه-برای-توپولف-۱۵۴-بن/

Media related to Iran Airtour at Wikimedia Commons

• Iran Air Tour official website (in English and Persian)