2000 Tehran Airport Collision

Mehrabad Interglobal Airport is an airport serving Tehran, the capital of Iran. Prior to the construction of the larger Imam Khomeini International Airport in 2007, Mehrabad was Tehran's primary airport for both international and domestic traffic, but now serves only domestic flights. Despite this, in 2016, Mehrabad Airport was the busiest airport in Iran in terms of passengers, handling 16,678,351 passengers in total. The airport is also used by the Government of Iran, and is one of the bases of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force.

History

The site was originally called Base-J and was the site of the Imperial Iranian Army's first Armored and Mechanized artillery forces provided by the Czechoslovakian Skoda Works, under the command of General Mahmud Mir-Djalali (grandfather of Pierre Omidyar).

1958-78

The airport was used for the first time as an airfield for aviation club planes in 1938. During World War II it became a stopover point for the U.S. Air Transport Command.

After the war, along with becoming internationally recognized by joining the Iranian civil aviation organization to the ICAO in 1949, the airport also became an air force base.

In 1955 just after the construction of the first asphalt-paved runway, a new terminal building (current Terminal 1) for both international and domestic flights was designed and constructed. In April 1956 Lockheed T-33 Shooting Stars (T-33As) trainer aircraft began arriving for the Imperial Iranian Air Force. In May 1957 these were followed by Republic F-84 Thunderjet (F-84Gs) fighter. In 1961, Mehrabad Airport added a side building (current Terminal 2) used for arrival flights.

In May 1975, Iran Air started flying to New York via London with a Boeing 707. The airline launched direct service to New York using Boeing 747SPs the following June. The construction of a new airport commenced from Tehran in 1977. The city was growing around Mehrabad, and the airfield was witnessing high amounts of traffic. Between 1970 and 1976, passenger counts had risen from 900,000 to 3,020,000.

1979-99

On 24 January 1979, the military took control of Mehrabad and other airports in the country in an attempt to prevent Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's return from exile in Paris. It ultimately relented and permitted his arrival at Mehrabad aboard a chartered Air France plane eight days later. At the beginning of the Iran–Iraq War in September 1980, Iraq carried out an air strike on the airport. In the 1980s, Mehrabad's route network spanned from Paris to Beijing.

2000-present

By 2000, the airport was serving nine million passengers annually, in addition to military flights. Due to the congestion, airlines advised travellers to arrive at Mehrabad three hours prior to departure. The new airport, now called Imam Khomeini International Airport, opened in 2004. However, political factors delayed the transfer of all international flights to the new facility. Iran Air commenced service to Caracas via Damascus in March 2007. All international flights had moved to Imam Khomeini Airport by November 2007.

In June 2020, Mehrabad Airport announced a new terminal to replace Terminals 4 and 6. The new terminal was to have 20 gates (10 with jetbridges) and a new CIP Terminal. It is not known when construction will start.

During the June 2025 Israeli strikes on Iran, the airport was closed. On 14 June 2025, a fire was burning at a hangar for military jets at the airport.

Operations

Mehrabad Airport handles only domestic flights. Between March 2022 and March 2023, the airport received 12.3 million passengers.

Facilities

Mehrabad International Airport consists of 4 terminals:

* Terminal 1 handles departures and arrivals for Air1Air, Chabahar Airlines, Kish Air, Varesh Airlines, and Zagros Airlines.
* Terminal 2 handles departures and arrivals for Asa Jet, ATA Airlines, Iran Air, Iran Airtour, Karun Airlines, Meraj Airlines, and Qeshm Air.
* Terminal 4 handles departures for AVA Airlines, Caspian Airlines, FlyPersia, Iran Aseman Airlines, Mahan Air, Pars Air, Pouya Air, Saha Airlines, Sepehran Airlines, Taban Air, and Yazd Airways.
* Terminal 6 handles arrivals for AVA Airlines, Caspian Airlines, FlyPersia, Iran Aseman Airlines, Mahan Air, Pars Air, Pouya Air, Saha Airlines, Sepehran Airlines, Taban Air, and Yazd Airways.

Formerly, Mehrabad had a Terminal 3 that was used for Hajj Flights, which were transferred to Imam Khomeini. Later it was used for Cargo flights which were also transferred to Imam Khomeini.

Other facilities

The airport is home to the head offices of Iran Air and the Iran Civil Aviation Organization

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