I have a treat for many of you– a domestic Iran flight. Buckle up for a seat on Iran Aseman Airlines, from Tehran Mehrabad (THR) to Shiraz (SYZ). FYI, aseman means “sky,” or “highest heaven” in Farsi; the privately-held company was founded in 1980, and is based at THR.
Earlier this month, I traveled with Key2Persia on a private 8-day tour in Iran. (In case you’re interested in visiting, ask for a guide named Reza Hosseini.) Although I never opt for tours, travelers from the U.S., UK, and Canada need to have a guide at all times. Damn.
In any event, among many reasons that I have longed to travel to Iran, hopping aboard an Iranian airline was one of them.
After starting the tour in Tehran, it was high time to get to Shiraz, a roughly one hour and 15 minute-flight south of the capital.
Entering the terminal, passengers have to go through a brief security check. No big deal.
Then…something I have yet to encounter, even in all of my visits to 400+ airports. Each time a flight opened up its check-in counter(s), an announcement was made telling people where to go. It’s not a big terminal, either, but naturally we’d all have to head to the correct check-in area, even if there were no announcement. Still, it was a rather relaxed atmosphere.
Landside, there were a few shops, a fair number of seats, and an online gaming “cafe.” As our Iran Aseman Airlines flight was delayed due to rain, counters opened about an hour and a half before the new departure time.
The main security checkpoint was divided up into separate male and female areas.
Airside, there were a few places to grab a bite and a snack. As all gates were bus gates, it was one big seating area.
Eventually, everyone was called to get on the bus. At this point, I was ruminating about what type of frame Iran Aseman Airlines used for this route. Was it an Airbus A300? A Boeing 707? Queen of the Skies? Pfft, yeah right…I would have to go back in time and fly Iran Air, or Mahan Air for those birds.
No, no, it was a mere Boeing 737-400, at around 32 years young:
Bah humbug. Then again, the last time I flew a 734 was in the early 2010s with Sriwijaya Airlines, so once per decade works for me.
Ultimately, it was an uneventful flight. But hey, they served a sandwich and a drink:
We landed at Shiraz Shahid Dastgheib International Airport somewhat later than expected, but it was all good.
I’d love to participate in an aviation tour in Iran, but for fellow travelers from the U.S., UK, and Canada, take note: visa applications can take a few weeks. For many other countries, it might just take a day or two, and/or you could get one on-arrival.
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