Saha Airlines

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Saha Air is an airline based in Tehran, Iran. It operates domestic passenger services with three 707s and occasional cargo charters with a mostly-mothballed fleet of 747s. It was established in 1990 and is wholly owned by the Iranian Air Force. Regular domestic flights include daily flights from its base at Tehran's Mehrabad airport to Mashhad, Kish Island, Assoulyeh and its aircraft also make regular appearances at Shiraz.

It is notable for being the last airline in the world to operate the Boeing 707 in passenger service. These particular aircraft are ex air-to-air tanker 707s, delivered in 1976 and pressed into passenger service due to sanctions by the USA which have stopped Iran acquiring new aircraft since 1979. In the present era of very low numbers of Westerners visiting Iran, airline enthusiasts (including American citizens) make regular pilgrimages to Iran, including actual organised tour groups, to fly on the antique and well-maintained 707s.

1 Code data
2 Incidents and accidents
3 Fleet
4 See also
5 External links
6 References

[edit] Code data

ICAO Code: IRZ
Callsign: SAHA ^[1]

[edit] Incidents and accidents

On 20 April 2005 a Saha Air Boeing 707-300 suffered a landing accident at Mehrabad Airport, Tehran following an unstabilised approach with a higher than recommended airspeed. Gear and/or a tyre failed after touchdown and the flight overran the far end of the runway. Of the 12 crew and 157 passengers, three passengers lost their lives during the evacuation.^[2] Far from signalling the end of passenger 707s in Iranian skies, a low-time 707 tanker was converted to passenger service, bringing the fleet back up to a strength of three machines.