Iran Air (1960s + 70s)

[PAXboy]

In search of a little history of this carrier in the 60s and up to the revolution in 1979, I looked at their own site first. They have a history page, although the translation needs some [cough-cough] tidying up and editing out of duplications. From the 1920s/30s:
... using the German type of aircraft called "Dragon Rapids", the airline company started to operate domestic as well as regional flights to neighbouring countries carrying passenger, cargo, and mail. However, with the outbreak of Second World War ...The mis-spelling is understandable (when you look at the rest of the page!) but one can only wonder if the country of origin is accidental or political?!!
http://www.iranair.nl/framehistory.html

However, they do not cover anything beyond 1958 and so my question is this: In the 60s and 70s - up to the revolution - what a/c did Iran Air operate, both for domestic and international?

Many thanks.

[parabellum]

B737, B727, B707 and B747.

[forget]

.............. and DC-6s.

http://www.shahyad.net/IranAir/IranAir-planes.html

...and Viscounts. http://www.iranian.com/History/April98/Iranair/

[Fly380]

I flew with them in 1975. Apr/Oct. They operated 5 707 + 727 & 737. The 707 operated mainly to Europe but I think it was July 75 they started a New York service via Heathrow. The 707 also operated a twice weekly Peking ( Beijing )Tokyo. In case you are interested the registrations of the 707's were EP-IRJ, EP-IRK, EP-IRL, EP-IRM, EP-IRN.:8

[WHBM]

In the 1950s Iran Air had DC-3s (of course) and Curtiss C46s.

By 1960 they had DC4s, DC6s were just coming on line, and Vickers Viscount 700s. The Viscounts did Tehran-London via several points along the way. There were also a couple of Convair 240s used on regional flights.

In the mid-1960s they stocked up on severat DC-6Bs, which lasted until well into the 1970s, although not to the revolution. All the Douglases were secondhand.

By the late 1960s they started to build up their Boeing fleet, and as listed above they bought a few of all the main types over the years.

If I recall correctly they had some financial involvement from Pan Am. I'll bet that doesn't appear on their website.

[Opssys]

I found these some years ago and they are still vald:

http://www.iranian.com/History/June97/IranAir/
http://www.iranian.com/History/April98/Iranair/index.html
http://www.iranian.com/History/June97/IranAir/Airlines.html

opssys

[PAXboy]

That has all been most helpful. The specifics of equ and the links much appreciated.
:) :)

[BelArgUSA]

Both PanAm and TWA were two US airlines that were involved in assistance for airlines in the Middle East, PanAm provided aircrews and technicians to IranAir in the 1960s and 1970s... PanAm was also involved with Ariana Afghan Airlines, as TWA was with Saudia and Ethiopian Airlines...
xxx
The 747SPs were intended to be operated non-stop TEH to JFK.
xxx
Note also that some 747s acquired in the early 1970s by IranAir were actually TWA airplanes (747-131) and also served in the Imperial Iran Air Force, as tankers. Also interesting to note, is that the first Saudia 747s (747-168B) were to be delivered to IranAir, but the politics of 1978-1979 period of the USA decided that these airplanes would be delivered to Saudia rather than IranAir. (Same thing happened to the Lybian 747 order, which evenually were delivered to Varig in Brazil).
xxx
I remember having seen some Fokker F-27 and F-28s operated by IranAir, during the 1970s at the aiport in Teheran.
xxx
:)
Happy contrails

[G-KEST]

After a ferry flight taking a Grumman Agcat powered by a P&W R-1340 out to Abadan in 1976 I had to wait for a return trip back to the UK. Although the hotel was comfortable I just wanted to get home. Eventually after a couple of days I managed to get on an Iran Air Boeing 727 via Athens and Frankfurt back to LHR. Nice trip with no booze but pleasant cabin staff and, for airlines, excellent coffee.

My impressions of the Iranians I met was very good.

Cheers,

Trapper 69
:ok:

[WHBM]

I recall travelling from London to Los Angeles in 1978 just at the time of the Iranian revolution. Iran Air had put schedules in the ABC timetable for Tehran-London-Los Angeles "Subject to confirmation" with the 747SP, which were just coming on stream at the time, but the route never started. I was intrigued if this could have been an option for me.

Incidentally those same 747SPs are still in the fleet 29 years on and turn up at Heathrow from time to time on the Tehran schedule.

[Fly380]

I believe one of the TWA 747's 'loaned' to the Iranian Airforce finished up as flight 800 ex New York that blew up.

[treadigraph]

Fly380, I thought - probably erroneously - that an ex TWA 747 operated by the IIAF crashed near Madrid possibly for the same reason that TWA800 crashed?

[Fly380]

Found this link.http://www.airsafe.com/journal/issue3.htm

[WHBM]

The Iranian AF 747 registration 5-283 lost at Madrid in 1975 was ex-TWA. It had only been in Iranian service for some 6 months. Like a number of the TWA fleet it had been returned to Boeing in the downturn following the 1974 oil crisis. It is consideredd to have sustained a lightning strike.

The TWA 747 lost at Long Island had followed a similar route, being returned to Boeing as well and planned to go to Iran as registration 5-288, but it never did so. Instead it was taken back into the TWA fleet in 1976 when things started looking up again and was lost 20 years later.

[Fly380]

According to the link above, the Madrid crash was 9 May 1976 and a connection is made with TWA 800.