Iran Air

In August 1961, Iranian Airways and Persian Air Services merged to form United Iranian Airlines. A few months later, however, Iran National Airline Corporation was formed by order of the Iranian government, and took over operations from United Iranian Airlines. When the airline entered the jet age, a few Boeing 727s were leased, which operated on routes to most major cities in Europe as well as the Persian Gulf region. Later, Boeing 737s for domestic flights and Boeing 707s for semi-long-haul flights were purchased, followed by Boeing 747s and 747SPs for the non-stop Tehran-New York route. The Shah of Iran also ordered the French Concorde, an order which was cancelled immediately after the Revolution. As a result of the Revolution and the Iran-Iraq war, domestic and international passenger numbers went down. At the end of the war with Iraq, the Iranian government decided to end the monopoly status of Iran. This is the story of Iran’s national carrier from its earliest years to the present day.