Mehrabad International Airport
Encyclopedia
Mehrabad International Airport is an airport
that serves Tehran
, Iran
. It was the primary airport of Tehran in both international and domestic passenger traffic but has been replaced by Imam Khomeini International Airport
(IKA) in most of its international flights. It is still by far the busiest airport in Iran in terms of passenger traffic and aircraft movements, handling 12,094,218 passengers in 2009. The airport is located inside the city boundaries and is thus much easier to access than IKA.
Training, maintenance and engineering facilities of Iran's National Carrier Iran Air
, Iran Aseman Airlines
, and Saha Airlines
are located at this airport.
An aircraft engineering and maintenance company Fajr Ashian, has a maintenance hangar adjacent to main airport premises.
The hangar is linked to Mehrabad Airport through a taxiway crossing "Tehran-Karaj" Highway. Fajr Ashian takes care of Aircraft of many companies e.g. Mahan Air
, Iran Air
.
The change of international flights to IKA, finished in 2004, was gradual, starting with flights to countries bordering the Persian Gulf
. All international flights have now been moved to IKA except flights to Saudi Arabia
for Hajj
and Umrah
.
along with becoming internationally recognized by joining Iran civil aviation organization to the ICAO in 1949, the airport also became an air force base. Newly delivered Republic F-84G Thunderjets (fighter) and Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star (trainer) arrived, May 1957 and April 1956, respectively. Iranian Air Force. In 1955 just after construction of first asphalt paved runway a new terminal building (Current Terminal 1) for both international and domestic flights was designed and constructed. Among the designers of the initial modern buildings of the airport was the famous architect William Pereira
.
Mehrabad International Airport consists of six terminals, with Terminals 1, 3 and 5 only used during Haj
and Umrah
seasons. Most other airlines operate out of Terminals 4 and 6, except of Iran Air
, Iran Air Tours
and ATA Air, which are based at Terminal 2. Cargo flights are also handled at Terminal 2
and the Iran Civil Aviation Organization
.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
that serves Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. It was the primary airport of Tehran in both international and domestic passenger traffic but has been replaced by Imam Khomeini International Airport
Imam Khomeini International Airport
Imam Khomeini International Airport is located in Ahmadabad, Iran. The airport is located about southwest of the city near the localities of Robat-Karim and Eslamshahr. It was designed to replace Mehrabad International Airport, which is in the west of the city, now inside the city boundaries...
(IKA) in most of its international flights. It is still by far the busiest airport in Iran in terms of passenger traffic and aircraft movements, handling 12,094,218 passengers in 2009. The airport is located inside the city boundaries and is thus much easier to access than IKA.
Training, maintenance and engineering facilities of Iran's National Carrier Iran Air
Iran Air
Iran Air , formally Airline of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the flag carrier airline of Iran, operating services to 60 destinations, 35 international and 25 domestic. The cargo fleet operates services to 20 scheduled and 5 charter destinations...
, Iran Aseman Airlines
Iran Aseman Airlines
Iran Aseman Airlines is an airline based in Tehran, Iran, operating scheduled domestic and regional flights within the Persian Gulf area, as well as charter and air taxi services...
, and Saha Airlines
Saha Airlines
Saha Airlines , is an airline based in Tehran, Iran, it also operates using abbriviated title Saha Air, it was rebranded as Iranian Airlines for a short while as well. Saha was established in 1990 as Saha Air Lines and is wholly owned by the Iranian Air Force...
are located at this airport.
An aircraft engineering and maintenance company Fajr Ashian, has a maintenance hangar adjacent to main airport premises.
The hangar is linked to Mehrabad Airport through a taxiway crossing "Tehran-Karaj" Highway. Fajr Ashian takes care of Aircraft of many companies e.g. Mahan Air
Mahan Air
Mahan Airlines, doing business as Mahan Air, is a private airline based in the Mahan Air Tower in Tehran, Iran. It operates scheduled domestic services and international flights to the Far East, Middle East, Central Asia, and Europe...
, Iran Air
Iran Air
Iran Air , formally Airline of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the flag carrier airline of Iran, operating services to 60 destinations, 35 international and 25 domestic. The cargo fleet operates services to 20 scheduled and 5 charter destinations...
.
The change of international flights to IKA, finished in 2004, was gradual, starting with flights to countries bordering the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
. All international flights have now been moved to IKA except flights to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
for Hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
and Umrah
Umrah
The Umrah or is a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, performed by Muslims that can be undertaken at any time of the year. In Arabic, Umrah means "to visit a populated place"...
.
History
The airport was first time used as an airfield for aviation club planes in 1938, then after World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
along with becoming internationally recognized by joining Iran civil aviation organization to the ICAO in 1949, the airport also became an air force base. Newly delivered Republic F-84G Thunderjets (fighter) and Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star (trainer) arrived, May 1957 and April 1956, respectively. Iranian Air Force. In 1955 just after construction of first asphalt paved runway a new terminal building (Current Terminal 1) for both international and domestic flights was designed and constructed. Among the designers of the initial modern buildings of the airport was the famous architect William Pereira
William Pereira
William Leonard Pereira was an American architect from Chicago, Illinois, of Portuguese ancestry who was noted for his futuristic designs of landmark buildings such as the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco...
.
Terminals, airlines and destinations
Háj
Háj may refer to:* Háj in Turčianske Teplice District, Slovakia* Háj in Košice-okolie District, Slovakia...
and Umrah
Umrah
The Umrah or is a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, performed by Muslims that can be undertaken at any time of the year. In Arabic, Umrah means "to visit a populated place"...
seasons. Most other airlines operate out of Terminals 4 and 6, except of Iran Air
Iran Air
Iran Air , formally Airline of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the flag carrier airline of Iran, operating services to 60 destinations, 35 international and 25 domestic. The cargo fleet operates services to 20 scheduled and 5 charter destinations...
, Iran Air Tours
Iran Air Tours
Iran Airtour is an airline based in Tehran, Iran. It is a subsidiary of Iran Air and operates scheduled domestic services and international services in the Middle East, as well as charter services including Europe...
and ATA Air, which are based at Terminal 2. Cargo flights are also handled at Terminal 2
Other facilities
The airport has the head offices of Iran AirIran Air
Iran Air , formally Airline of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the flag carrier airline of Iran, operating services to 60 destinations, 35 international and 25 domestic. The cargo fleet operates services to 20 scheduled and 5 charter destinations...
and the Iran Civil Aviation Organization
Iran Civil Aviation Organization
The Islamic Republic of Iran Civil Aviation Organization is Iran's civil aviation agency. The organization is headquartered at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran.-External links:**...
.
Accidents and incidents
- On 20 April 2005, a Boeing 707-3J9CBoeing 707The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
had an accident while landing in Mehrabad airport. After touchdown on runway 29L problems with the undercarriage (failure of a landing gear or tyre burst) caused the Boeing 707 to slide off the runway into the Kan River. Three passengers were killed after they fell in the river during the evacuation. - On 19 June 2005, a Northwest AirlinesNorthwest AirlinesNorthwest Airlines, Inc. was a major United States airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines by a merger approved on October 29, 2008, making Delta the largest airline in the world...
DC-10 en route from MumbaiMumbaiMumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
to AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
made an emergency landing at Mehrabad Airport due to an indication of a fire in the cargo hold, which turned out to be a false alarm. No American airliners had landed in Iran since the revolution. The plane left 8 hours later without incident. - On 6 December 2005, an Iranian Air Force C-130 HerculesC-130 HerculesThe Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
crashed in TehranIranian Air Force C-130 crash in TehranThe 2005 Iranian Air Force C-130 crash occurred on 6 December 2005 at 14:10 local time when an Iranian Air Force C-130E military transport aircraft, 5-8519, c/n 4399, crashed into a ten-floor apartment building in a residential area of Tehran, the capital city of Iran.The aircraft, bound for...
shortly after taking off from the airport. - On 2 January 2008, an Iran AirIran AirIran Air , formally Airline of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the flag carrier airline of Iran, operating services to 60 destinations, 35 international and 25 domestic. The cargo fleet operates services to 20 scheduled and 5 charter destinations...
Fokker 100 (EP-IDB) plane carrying 100 passengers skidded off the runway after part of its wing caught fire when attempting to takeoff on a domestic flight to Shiraz Airport. Its wheels were disconnected and part of its wing caught fire. No one was injured in the accident, which happened around 07:30 IRST amid heavy snowfall at the airport.
Film shot at Mehrabad Airport
- 1965 The Poppy is also a FlowerThe Poppy Is Also a FlowerThe Poppy Is Also a Flower is an ABC made-for-television spy and anti-drug film. The film was directed by Terence Young and stars Senta Berger, Stephen Boyd, Trevor Howard, Rita Hayworth, Angie Dickinson, Yul Brynner, and Marcello Mastroianni...
directed by Terence Young