Saha Airlines
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2009) |
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| Founded | 1990 (as Saha Air Lines) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubs | Mehrabad International Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 5 (+3 orders) | ||||||
| Parent company | Iran Air Force | ||||||
| Headquarters | Tehran, Iran | ||||||
Saha Airlines (Persian: هواپیمایی ساها), is an airline based in Tehran, Iran, it also operates using abbreviated title Saha Air. Saha was established in 1990 as Saha Air Lines and is wholly owned by the Iranian Air Force. The airline operates domestic passenger services with two A300s and two 707s, cargo charters are carried out with the two 747F when required, also pending the aircraft's airworthiness.
The airline is the last to operate the Boeing 707 for passenger service. The aircraft are former air force air-to-air tankers with low flying hours are used for passenger services due to sanctions by the USA.
Iranian Airlines branding controversy
The two Saha Airbus A300s [1] were repainted in a new livery with Iranian Airlines titles in 2009, which was a new carrier and not Saha rebranding, no services were flown and the aircraft were stored at Tehran, eventually the aircraft were reinstated with former Saha logo modified to be without the light blue roundel in the background, while former titles were applied in the new combination of purple (Saha) and dark pink (Airlines) inline with the Iranian Airlines two tone style, but these too have since been removed from both aircraft, which are now flying in just the basic livery with a flag, operating for another airline.[2].
Destinations
Flights include the following daily flights from its base at Tehran Mehrabad Airport to Mashhad, Kish Island, Assalouyeh, Isfahan, Ahwaz and Shiraz. [citation needed]
Fleet
The Saha Airlines fleet consists the following aircraft (as of November 2011):[3]
| Aircraft | In Fleet | Orders | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A300B4-605R | 2 | 3 | opf Meeraj Air |
| Boeing 707-3J9C | 5 | 0 | 3 stored |
| Boeing 747-200F | 2 | 0 | stored |
| Total | 9 | 3 |
In 2009, the airline secured a deal with China Southern Airlines over the purchase of Airbus A300-600R aircraft, this deal was formed in a par with other sales from CZ to Iran. As of April 2010, China Southern has delivered 2 A300s to Saha Airlines, with a further 3 on order. June 22, 2010 was scheduled to be the last passenger flight of the Boeing 707, but the aircraft have since returned to service.[failed verification][4]
Incidents and accidents
- On 20 April 2005, Saha Airlines Flight 171, a Boeing 707-320C, registration EP-SHE, flying from Kish Island, crashed on landing at Mehrabad Airport, Tehran following an unstabilised approach with a higher than recommended airspeed. Gear and/or a tire failed after touchdown and the flight overran the far end of the runway. Of the 12 crew and 157 passengers, 3 passengers were killed.[5]
References
External links
| Passenger | |
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| Cargo | |
| Defunct | |
