Almost a week after my memorable trip aboard one of Saha Air Lines’ Boeing 707s I had finished my work in Tehran and decided to treat myself to another day of flying aboard some of the wonderful aircraft that Iranian carriers have to offer for the enthusiast.

On the Friday afternoon I went to Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport with my friend who would be joining me again for the following day’s adventure so we could look at the options and purchase the necessary tickets. We looked firstly at trying to combine a trip on a Tu-154 and A300B2 but unfortunately there did not seem to be any practical options for both. The Iran Air ticket sales staff were very helpful but at the same time rather amused by the fact that we were specifically asking for flights on the Tu-154. “You want to fly on the Tupolev?!” asked one of them. “Yes” I replied with a smile on my face. He laughed and exclaimed “but they are dangerous!”. I thought this was brilliant coming from an airline staff member about their subsidiary airline’s aircraft. It was of course all said in good humour. We decided in the end to go for an Iran Air Tour flight to Mashad in the morning to experience the Tu-154, returning on the Saha Air B707. Despite the fact that we had flown on the B707 the previous weekend we decided we could never get enough of it so were quite prepared to take the same return flight again. My friend hurried to the Saha Air ticket desk to make sure there were seats available on the return flight and we then booked and paid for the outbound flight with Iran Air Tour.

I awoke the following morning keen to see what the weather was like as it had started snowing while I was out with a friend in Tehran the previous evening. I opened my curtains to see that it was still snowing lightly and the overnight snow had created a white blanket across the rooftops. It did occur to me that the flights may be affected but knowing that Tehran sees a lot of snow through the winter I guessed (and hoped) that it should not cause too much disruption.




I met my friend outside the hotel at around 0800 and we headed to Mehrabad Airport in a rental car. After leaving the car we headed to a small viewing area just outside the domestic terminal which affords a close view of a couple of the international stands where there are often a couple of Iran Air B747s as well as a reasonable view of the activity on the domestic ramp where there are always a number of interesting aircraft. The only problem in Iran is that photography at airports is strictly prohibited and as there is a security camera next to the viewing area I just had to drool over the aircraft without getting my camera out.

We then headed into the domestic terminal which was rather busy and tried to find a check-in desk for our Iran Air Tour flight to Mashad. If I remember rightly our flight was scheduled to depart at around 1100 but there was no sign of anywhere to check in for this flight. It soon became apparent that many flights were subject to reactionary delays due to the weather earlier in the morning. We realised there was disruption for our flight when a check-in desk opened for an early afternoon B9 flight to Mashad but not our morning departure. This caused a lot of confusion and passengers were flitting between check-in desks hoping to try and check-in for our flight. A number of passengers were crowded around the Iran Air Tour office behind the desks trying to find information on what time the morning flight would be departing. We eventually managed to find out that the aircraft was on its way into THR but had to then operate another couple of domestic sectors before it would be operating our flight, causing a delay of several hours. By this time check-in was well under way for the early afternoon departure. Naturally we asked whether we could be accepted for what would now be the earlier departure and were told that provided the Iran Air ticket desk revalidated our tickets accordingly we could be accepted. We hurried to the ticket desk knowing there would probably be others with the same idea as ourselves and after some time managed to squeeze our way to the counter. At the same time we knew that even if we managed to get on this flight we were on a knife-edge for our return flight with Saha Air but had decided to take the risk. The ticket sales staff said that we could not change our tickets but we explained that we had just been told that it would be possible to do this. After some time flitting between different Iran Air desks we managed to get the tickets changed and headed back to the check-in desk for the afternoon flight. We were then told that those who had originally been booked on this flight would be allowed to check-in ahead of us before eventually being told that the flight was now full and we could not be accepted.

It was now time to look at other options, accepting that we were not going to get our Iran Air Tour Tu-154. We managed to get a refund from Iran Air and then decided we should just fly to Mashad and back with Saha Air. We already held tickets for the return flight so just needed to purchase tickets for the outbound sector. My friend was adamant that even though it was about -20 minutes to departure that they would still sell us tickets and accept us! I questioned this despite him telling me the previous week that you can pretty much walk up at any time before departure and get on a domestic flight in Iran. Naturally, the lady at the Saha Air ticket desk said it was too late. So, it was time for our second refund of the morning and we were now left with no tickets.

We then spent what seemed like an eternity moving between different airlines’ ticket desks literally just asking what flights they had departing and what aircraft types they were. We tried Aria Air, Caspian Airlines, Taban Air, Qeshm Air, Iran Air and Iran Air Tour but to no real avail. Our final enquiry was with Kish Air who said that they had a flight to Ahwaz (AWZ) departing shortly which would be operated by a Tu-154. At first we weren’t convinced and as my friend had recommended that we try to avoid Ahwaz if possible I would have been content to do just that. However, his face lit up as he remembered something Caspian Airlines had told him earlier. They had apparently mentioned that they had a flight operating from AWZ to THR at around 1800. He then scuttled off to the Caspian Airlines ticket desk once again and they confirmed that there was availability on that flight. The gentleman at the Kish Air ticket desk pointed out that the Kish Air flight was actually a charter flight and that we would have to make a booking at the travel agency desk next to his. This was no problem and within minutes we had our tickets for the Kish Air charter flight.




We then purchased our tickets for the return flight with Caspian Airlines and were suddenly on track once again for an enjoyable day of flying – now on two Tu-154s, since this is the only type Caspian operate.




We then headed to the check-in desk for our Kish Air charter flight to Ahwaz.




There were not many passengers in the queue ahead of us so we were checked in quite quickly and handed our manual boarding passes. It seems that a number of carriers at THR are still checking in flights the old way.



We headed through departures into the domestic lounge and were soon boarding the coach to take us to the aircraft. After passing the area which is home to a number of military Fokker F27 Friendships near the domestic terminal we were soon making our way towards the domestic apron. The first aircraft we came to was the Tu-154 which would be taking us to AWZ. I can’t begin to describe the feeling of standing on the apron next to a Tu-154 knowing that I was about to travel on it. What is probably so mundane to many Iranians is so special to enthusiasts from outside Iran. I could not resist taking a photograph but did it in such a way that it was quick and discreet but at the same time not so much that it would arouse suspicion. The aircraft was EP-LBS which looked very smart in the company’s latest colours.

EP-LBS



We made our way up the aircraft steps into the cabin and headed toward the seats which we had specifically requested at check-in. Naturally they were window seats aft of the wing so we could experience the noise of the three Soloviev D-30KUs at their best!

After hearing the beautiful sound of the three engines starting we were soon taxiing towards the runway for departure. As was the case on the Saha Air flights the previous weekend I was reluctant to be seen taking photographs from the window while the aircraft was on the ground. There were some great opportunities, but with Mehrabad Airport having a significant amount of military traffic it was not worth the risk.

The aircraft had soon made the short taxi to the runway and it was time for take-off. The sound of the engines was amazing as the power was increased and the aircraft began its take-off roll. I was already loving the TU-154 and knew I was going to enjoy this experience. As we climbed out of Tehran I resisted the opportunity to take any photos until we were above the clouds and only mountains could be seen in the distance.




As I write this report almost five months later I can remember very little of significance about the flight – this is most probably due to the fact that apart from the novelty value of the aircraft type for me personally there really was nothing significant to remember. The service was quite simple and consisted of a light snack and drink. The snack was served in a box and consisted of a few cold items. My friend talked to one of the cabin crew and asked where this aircraft came from and was told that this was a former VIP aircraft. I do remember the cabin and fittings being in good condition so I guessed that it must have been overhauled fairly recently.

As had been the case on the B707 the previous week, I spent most of the flight with my face glued to the window looking out over the wing. When the guy next to me saw me taking some photos out of the window he passed his camera phone to me and gestured that I take a photo for him too. He did not speak English but we exchanged a few words after I took a photo for him. I commented on the fact that I had the same phone as him. (The only difference is that I tend to keep mine turned off on flights!)








There was quite a lot of turbulence – particularly during the second part of the flight and one instance in particular during the descent. I just turned to my friend behind me and we smiled – obviously he shared my enjoyment of others’ reactions to turbulence.






After just over an hour we were approaching Ahwaz and my camera was reluctantly put away. I may not have been so careful had my friend not told me about a couple of Austrian enthusiasts who took a trip down to Ahwaz on a Saha Air B707 and ended up getting arrested for taking photographs from the window while the aircraft was taxiing in. Fortunately, they were extremely lucky to be released several hours later. (Guys, if you happen to read this, please send me an e-mail.) This is why we had placed Ahwaz at the bottom of our list of destinations from the start. Still, here we were landing in Ahwaz due to the disruption in Tehran earlier in the day.

After landing the aircraft taxied swiftly to the apron and parked side on to the terminal as there is no nose-in parking at AWZ. We waited until the end to disembark and my friend asked whether it would be possible for us to visit the flightdeck. The crew kindly agreed and even allowed us to take photographs. This was much appreciated and we had a short conversation with them. We mentioned the fact that we had flown on the B707 the previous week and the Captain remarked that he used to fly the type. The flightdeck looked clean and in good cosmetic condition – this again re-emphasised the impression that the aircraft had recently been overhauled. I was surprised by the white panel – I was expecting the typical green colour which I always associate with Russian airliners’ flightdecks.

EP-LBS Flightdeck



We thanked the crew before disembarking and heading towards the terminal. Ahwaz Airport is pretty similar in size and layout to that at Mashad and we were soon out of arrivals with a bit of time to kill. Check-in had not yet opened for our Caspian Airlines flight back to Tehran so we took a walk outside the terminal, sat on a bench and chatted for a while. I can remember having a conversation about the British aircraft industry and telling my friend how I would have loved to have flown aboard such types as the Trident, VC-10 and BAC One Eleven. I can remember how strange it seemed sitting outside an airport in south-western Iran that I had not even heard of two weeks earlier talking about VC-10s. After a while we could hear the sound of the TU-154 which had brought us in from THR taxiing out for departure.





A little later we took a walk back into the terminal and checked-in for our return flight. Check-in was easy and we were once again holding boarding passes for similar seats to those we had occupied on the inbound Kish Air flight. We had not really eaten much up until now so my friend bought us a cup of sweetcorn each. This may sound strange but with the flavouring they add it actually makes a very tasty snack. There is actually a stand under my building in Abu Dhabi that sells it like this. We chatted for a while whilst eating and then my friend disappeared for a short time. By the time he reappeared I had watched through the window as an Iran Aseman Airlines B727-200 arrived. I told him about this and he was eager to take a closer look. We went into a restaurant where we got a clear view of the aircraft and watched the activity around it for a while. It was nice to see the aircraft so close up, particularly as the B727 is one of my favourite aircraft types and a dying breed. My friend started subtly opening his bag and I knew he was going to get his camera out. “Don’t even think about it” I said, with barely a hint of a smile. I commented that if he was caught taking photographs in the company of a Brit it would probably be me who would end up in the most trouble. I started to walk away and he decided not to take a photograph. Whether what I said would be true I didn’t know but I was certainly not prepared to find out.

When boarding time came around we headed out among the rest of the passengers across the by now floodlit apron. It was now dark but this did not stop my friend asking the security officer outside the gate if he could take a photograph of the rather nice Fars Air Qeshm Yakovlev YAK-42 that we were about to walk past on the way to our Tu-154. The security officer apparently said something along the lines of “don’t get caught”, which I thought was quite funny. My friend then put his camera on the ground with something under the front to keep it stable and achieve a reasonable photo. There were passengers constantly walking in front and behind the camera and as he looked through his adjustable viewfinder I had to tell him the optimum moment at which to take the shot whilst also trying to look like I was looking at our aircraft in a world of my own, oblivious to what he was doing!

A few moments later we arrived at our aircraft and could see that the registration was EP-CPS. Apparently this was a new aircraft to the Caspian Airlines fleet. We were soon boarding our second TU-154 of the day and made our way once again to the back of the cabin. Again, my friend sat behind me by the window and I had two teenage Iranian guys to my left who seemed enthralled by a football magazine they were reading. I can remember wanting to make a derogatory comment about Manchester United as they chatted and pointed at an article about them but I managed to resist. I spent a few moments scrolling through a few photos on my camera and as the boys next to me did not bat an eyelid I knew I would be okay to perhaps record a couple of videos of the flight.

Engines were started and we were soon taxiing out towards the runway for departure. As the aircraft turned onto the runway I decided to bite the bullet and capture a video of the take-off. The only problem with this was that the crew did not dim the lights for take-off so unfortunately there was a lot of reflection. However, the sounds of the engines were captured nicely from the commencement of the take-off run to airborne.

EP-CPS Take-off from Ahwaz



Take-off was very enjoyable once again and we were soon climbing out Ahwaz for Tehran.

Again, there did not seem to be anything of great significance to mention about the flight itself and because of the darkness and reflection I did not take any photographs. The cabin did not look as clean and new as that on the Kish Air aircraft but the service was good and the snack offered by Caspian Airlines was nicer than that of the former, despite the fact that I can now not remember what it consisted of. The seats on this aircraft were covered in a light blue fabric as opposed to the darker colours of those on the Kish Air aircraft.

After an enjoyable cruise between AWZ and THR we began our descent once again towards the capital and were soon passing over the city towards Mehrabad Airport. The noises from the engines as we passed over the city were very nice and I just had to capture a few moments to share with you.

EP-CPS approaching THR



Shortly afterwards we were about to land at Mehrabad - once again I wanted to capture the moment.

EP-CPS Landing at THR



After what was a very enjoyable approach and landing the aircraft taxied towards the domestic apron where there was the usual array of interesting aircraft from a number of different carriers. After arrival, for some reason many of the passengers folded down the seats in front of them – they seem to fold down very easily and by the time we headed to the front of the aircraft the cabin looked more like it was ready to carry bulk cargo than passengers. We asked the crew once again whether we would be able to visit the flightdeck and they kindly agreed. This flightdeck had the classic ‘Russian flightdeck green’ panel which gave it an older feel than the one we had flown on our outbound sector. I think the rather conventional fans look funny on the TU-154 flightdeck. It was nice to visit the flightdeck again and once again the Iranian crew were very welcoming.

EP-CPS Flightdeck & Captain

Any historical information / constrction number for this particular aircraft would be welcome - please let me know if anyone has any information

It was now time to disembark and board the coach to domestic arrivals.


It had been another day of exciting flying in Iran and I felt privileged to have had the opportunity to visit the country, meet some very nice Iranian people and fly on some of the classic aircraft that continue to ply the domestic routes in Iran day in, day out.

I would like especially to thank my dear friend Shary who was invaluable in helping to organise the flights and whose company I enjoyed immensely during the flights we experienced. I hope to see you later this year.Merzi!

***

I hope you enjoyed this short report on Kish Air and Caspian Airlines. I know it did not have the usual number of photos and videos I usually include in my reports but hopefully it was still interesting. Once again, please leave your feedback and let me know what you thought.

I have more interesting trip reports coming soon – keep your eye out for the following over the next few weeks:

Pakistan International B747-300 ISB-BKK

Orient Thai B747-100B,SUD,SR BKK-HKG-BKK

Iran Air B747SP DAM-CCS

Cubana IL-96-300 CCS-HAV

Cubana IL-62M HAV-SDQ

Indian Airlines A320 TRV-MAA

Alliance Air B737-200 MAA-VTK-MAA

Indian Airlines A300B4 MAA-BOM

***