FLEET - Iran's Mahan Air receives first ex-Singapore Airlines B777-200ER.

Mahan Air has received the first of its five Boeing 777-200ERs, previously operated by Singapore Airlines.

The five Boeing 777-200s  – were initially operated by Singapore Airlines and later by NokScoot, a Thai low-cost carrier.

Photo: Majid Hasankhani

FLEET - Mahan Air acquires B777-200ERs

Several Iranian aviation news sites are reporting that Mahan Air has been able to successfully acquire Boeing B777-200ERs and that the aircraft have arrived in the country in the recent weeks.

According to the sites, the airline has secured five former NokScoot B777-200ERs, which have been acquired through UDAAN Aviation in Madagascar. All five aircraft were positioned to Siem Raep in Cambodia on 4 July 2025 and left with destination unknown on 15 July 2025. 

Now we know they have surfaced in Iran. The sites are also reporting that five more B777-200ERs are to follow soon.

The five aircraft currently involved, and which are still on the register in Madagascar are:

5R-HER (28522), which is former 9V-SRG of Singapore Airlines and HS-XBB of NokScoot
5R-IJA (28527), which is former 9V-SRJ and HS-XBD
5R-ISA (30866), former 9V-SRH and HS-XBC.
5R-RIJ (33369), former 9V-SRP and HS-XBF.
5R-RIS (32334), former 9V-SRL and HS-XBE.

Using third countries and operators to procure new aircraft is a common way for Iran to circumvent the sanctions imposed on the country. We have reported several times on aircraft that suddenly popped-up with Iranian carriers.
Photo by NokScoot / Scramble

 

Mahan Air reactivates B747-400 after 9 years

Mahan Air (W5, Tehran Mehrabad) has reactivated its only B747-400 almost ten years after it had been retired and put in storage at Tehran Imam Khomeini airport.

EP-MNB (msn 24363), a 30-year-old quadjet previously operated by Blue Airways (BLM, Yerevan), was reactivated on August 27, 2019, when it performed a test flight around Tehran Imam Khomeini airport. It had been stored there since 2010.

Germany bans Iran's Mahan Air

The German government has banned Mahan Air (W5, Tehran Mehrabad) from operating flights to the country, accusing the airline of acting as an agent of the Iranian government.

"We have always said that Iran's destabilizing activities in the region, just like their ballistic missile program, are not acceptable. That is why it is in Germany's foreign policy interests not to allow any air traffic to Germany from companies who support the war in Syria and contribute to the oppression of people in war zones," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christopher Burger said at a press conference, as quoted by Deutsche Welle.

The move was quickly applauded by the US administration. The Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell said that the US was "thankful" and that "the safety of German and U.S. citizens [was] the highest priority", echoing earlier comments by National Security Advisor John Bolton.

US officials further said that Germany's ban was a result of long-standing pressure. The German Foreign Ministry did however not acknowledge bowing to US pressure.

Mahan Air has been sanctioned by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) since 2011.

According to the ch-aviation capacity module, the Iranian carrier currently operates from Tehran Imam Khomeini to Düsseldorf Int'l (3x weekly using A310-300 equipment) and Munich (2x weekly using A340-300 aircraft).

In terms of its European Union network, Mahan Air also flies to Barcelona El Prat, Milan Malpensa, and Paris CDG. No other EU country has so far banned the airline.

ch aviation

Mahan Air plans Barcelona June 2017 launch

Iranian carrier Mahan Air earlier this month opened reservation for new service to Spain, with the offering of Tehran Imam Khomeini – Barcelona route. From 22JUN17, Airbus A340 aircraft will operate this route twice a week, operating on Thursdays and Sundays.

W5136 IKA0605 – 0955BCN 340 47
W5137 BCN1310 – 2100IKA 340 47

Jim Liu Data & Analysis Manager - Airlineroute, Routesonline

Mahan Air expands European service in S17

Mahan Air this week updated planned European service for summer 2017 season, with additional flights being added on key routes. Planned frequency increase as follow.

Tehran Imam Khomeini – Copenhagen eff 13JUN17 Increase from 2 to 3 weekly, A340-300 service
Tehran Imam Khomeini – Dusseldorf eff 17JUN17 Increase from 3 to 4 weekly, A340-300 service (Planned service increase is 2 weeks earlier than planned, based on comparison with summer 2016)
Tehran Imam Khomeini – Paris CDG eff 01JUN17 Increase from 3 to 4 weekly, A340-300 service
Reservation for new flights listed above currently is not available for discounted air fares, according to the airline’s website.
Previously reported changes:
Tehran Imam Khomeini – Milan Malpensa eff 20MAY17 Increase from 2 to 3 weekly, A340-300 service

Jim Liu - Data & Analysis Manager - Airlineroute, Routesonline

Photo:Pedro Filipe - Dusse

Mahan Air Increases Milan Flights from mid-Nov 2015

Iranian carrier Mahan Air from 15NOV15 is adding 3rd weekly rotation on Tehran – Milan Malpensa service, as it launches the new flight on Sundays. This route is operated by Airbus A310 aircraft, with following schedule.

W5110 IKA0705 – 1005MXP 310 367

W5111 MXP1205 – 1920IKA 310 367

Iran Becomes Final Destination for Virgin A340s

The carrier describes the fleet additions as an important boost for the country’s civilian aviation industry, which has struggled for many years because of ageing fleets and American-imposed restrictions on access to replacement aircraft, parts, technology and service.



Iranian carrier Mahan Air has revealed it has introduced nine second-hand Airbus aircraft into its fleet during the first two weeks of this month to continue its development and replace some of its older airliners. The aircraft were acquired for an undisclosed amount from unidentified sellers, although ownership data suggests these were sourced via Iraqi company Al-Naser Airlines.

The carrier describes the fleet additions as an important boost for the country’s civilian aviation industry, which has struggled for many years because of ageing fleets and American-imposed restrictions on access to replacement aircraft, parts, technology and service.

Western aerospace companies are prohibited from dealing with Iran by sweeping sanctions linked to the country’s nuclear programme and to its sponsorship of terrorist groups. Under US law hefty financial penalties can also be applied to non-western entities which do business with Tehran, a restriction that has made it difficult for the country’s airlines to source supplies.

Mahan Air was placed on a sanctions list in October 2011 by the US Treasury Department over what it called the airline’s support for activities of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Quds Force and Hezbollah militants – a claim vehemently rejected by the airline.

Mahan Air has previously managed to bypass sanction rules by acquiring Airbus equipment via intermediaries. It confirms these new aircraft, which comprise a single A321, seven A340-600s and a single A340-300, will enable it to strengthen its position in the Iranian market. All the widebodies formerly saw operation on the long-haul network of Virgin Atlantic from the UK.

“With the ever- growing number of domestic and international routes, and providing more proper services to our passengers, Mahan added new planes to its air fleet that is a part of Mahan Air improvement plans that has been achieved,” it said.

It appears that all nine aircraft were ferried to three airports in Iran on May 8, 2015. All were previously registered to Al-Naser Airlines, the second flag carrier of Iraq and first private airline in the country.

The A321, formerly of Chinese carrier Sichuan Airlines (msn 0550), was flown from Baghdad to Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport on May 8, 2015. Two of the A340-600s (msn 449 and 615) also arrived at the country’s main gateway from Basra, while two others were flown from the Iraqi city (msn 391 and 416) to Mehrabad International Airport is an airport that serves Tehran. Three further A340-600s (msn 371, 376 and 383) were ferried from Baghdad to Tehran Mehrabad, while the single A340-300 (msn 164) flew from Baghdad to Shahid Hashemi Nejad Airport in Mashhad.

The arrival of the aircraft in Iran has sparked investigations from the world’s media into the brokering of the deal to import the aircraft into the country. The Financial Times suggests Mahan Air is suspected of spending more than a year brokering a complex series of arrangements with apparently unwitting companies across Europe using Iraq’s Al-Naser Airlines as a front, citing western security officials.

It describes the sanctions-busting operation to acquire the nine new aircraft as “the most ambitious scheme by Iran’s hard-hit aviation sector yet uncovered” and is believed to have involved “a sprawling network of leasing arrangements and contracts across Europe”.

It comes at a particularly sensitive time for Iran’s relationship with the west. While landmark nuclear negotiations are poised to open up the Islamic Republic’s economy to the world in exchange for curbs on its atomic ambitions, there are also concerns over Tehran’s role in bloody proxy conflicts with its regional rivals.

Mahan Air will now be one of the largest remaining operators of the four-engined Airbus A340, a type that is being retired from the fleet of many airlines and replaced by more efficient twin-engined airliners. In a blog post this past week aviation intelligence provider OAG has highlighted the decline in A340 flights since the manufacturer ended production of the type at the end of 2011.

Three and a half years down the line and unsurprisingly, there are fewer A340s in the air. According to OAG schedules data this year there will be 119,000 scheduled passenger flights using this aircraft type, down from a peak of 206,000 in 2008.

Airlines Routes

Photo:Duncan Stewart - LAX

Mahan Air adds a maiden A321

Mahan Air (W5, Tehran Mehrabad) took delivery of a maiden A321-200 this past weekend adding to the seven A340-600s and one A340-300 that were ferried from Iraq on May 8.

Sources in Tehran inform ch-aviation that as with the A340s, the ex-Sichuan Airlines (3U, Chengdu) A321-200 2-WGLP (cn 550) was originally registered with Iraq's Al-Naser Airlines (6N, Baghdad) prior to its transfer.

Iranian news reports state that inclusive of this delivery, the embargoed country has acquired a total of seventeen second-hand civilian aircraft in the last three months. Of the seventeen, the other eight aircraft include a B737-500 for Sepehran Airways (Shiraz) as well as an ARJ-85 and an A310-300 for Taban Air (HH, Mashad). Two other aircraft (make unknown) have also been acquired for spare parts. 

ch-aviation

Mahan Air added its second German destination and its third to Europe, when it began twice-weekly operations to Munich on 11 March.

Mahan Air added its second German destination (in addition to Düsseldorf) and its third to Europe (joining Istanbul Atatürk), when it began twice-weekly (Wednesdays and Sundays) operations to Munich (MUC) on 11 March. Ordinarily the 3,512-kilometre sector will be flown by the Iranian airline’s 210-seat A310s from Tehran Imam Khomeini (IKA), however the inaugural flight was operated by one of its A340s. There will be no competition on the city pair.

aenna

Mahan Air Schedules London Gatwick Service from mid-Dec 2014

Iran’s Mahan Air today (15DEC14) plans to begin service on Tehran – London Gatwick route, based on the airline’s schedule listing. The listing shows the airline schedules 3 weekly flights with Airbus A310 aircraft, although this is not confirmed.

W59990 IKA1900 – 2145LGW 310 234
W59991 LGW2100 – 0730+1IKA 310 234
Routes Online

Mahan Air has started thrice-weekly flights between Tehran and Yerevan on 1 June

Operated by the airline’s 185-seat A310s, the 793-kilometre sector will see Mahan Air face competition from incumbent Iran Aseman Airlines, with its four times weekly operation. “We strongly believe that the convenience of our non-stop flights from Tehran together with the connectivity options to the Middle East and Far East destinations will further facilitate a great boost for business and leisure visitors between our two countries of Iran and Armenia
Anna.Aero

The first A340-300 for Mahan Air - EP-MMB (cn 020), Ex Lufthansa D-AIGA.

Mahan Air has emerged as the recipient of the two ex-Chaba Airlines A340-300s recently exported from Thailand to Iran via Kyrgyzstan.
The two A340-300s currently registered EX-34001 (c/n 20) and EX-34002 (c/n 56) to Manas Airways  are the first two A340s to be operated by Mahan Air.

A.Mahgoli - Zahedan - International - Iran