Caspian Airlines

Caspian Airlines
Caspian Airlines Boeing 737-500
IATA ICAO Call sign
RV CPN CASPIAN
Founded1993 (1993)
Hubs
Fleet size12
Destinations22
Parent companyIran National Airlines Corporation
HeadquartersTehran, Iran
Websitecaspian.aero

Caspian Airlines (Persian: هواپیمایی کاسپین, Havâpeymâyi-ye Kâspian) is an airline headquartered in the Iranian capital of Tehran.[1] Established in 1993, it operates services between Tehran and other major cities in Iran as well as international flights to Turkey and Iraq. Its main base is Mehrabad International Airport, Tehran.[2]

As of December 2016, Caspian Airlines is prohibited by the US Department of Treasury from engaging in any transaction of any type with foreign entities; for providing support to IRGC elements by transporting personnel and illicit material, including weapons, from Iran to Syria.[3]

History

The airline was established in 1993 and commenced operations in September 1993. It was set up as a joint venture between Iranian and Russian interests. Caspian Airlines finished building its headquarters in 1993. Later this tower was exchanged with three Tupolev-154s from Mahan Air.

In 2009 Caspian Airlines flight 7908 a TU 154 crashed killing all 168 occupants onboard[4]. Along with this Iran banned certain Russian aircraft from being leased to Iranian Airlines.[5]

In 2016 the US Department of Treasury prohibited Caspian from interacting with foreign companies for transporting IRGC related weapons and illicit material[3].

In 2019 Caspian Air and Taban Air grew their Boeing 737 fleets[6]. 2020 Caspian Airlines suffered a non fatal accident when Caspian Airlines Flight 6936 overran the runway which injured 2 occupants onboard[7].

On December 8 2025 it was reported that Caspian Airlines had begun flying to Sharjah which opened routes to a total of 5 Iranian cities[8]. On January 23 2026 a Caspian Airlines flight to Yerevan was cancelled six times in 8 days.[9]

Destinations

Country City Airport Notes Refs
Iran Abadan Ayatollah Jami International Airport
Ahvaz Qasem Soleimani International Airport
Asaluyeh Persian Gulf Airport
Bandar Abbas Bandar Abbas International Airport
Bushehr Bushehr Airport
Chabahar Chabahar Konarak Airport
Isfahan Shahid Beheshti International Airport
Jask Jask Airport
Kerman Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani Airport
Kish Kish International Airport
Mashhad Shahid Hasheminejad International Airport Hub
Qeshm Qeshm International Airport
Rasht Rasht Airport
Sari Dasht-e Naz Airport
Shiraz Shahid Dastgheib International Airport
Tabriz Shahid Madani International Airport
Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport Hub
Mehrabad International Airport Hub
Yazd Shahid Sadooghi Airport
Zahedan Zahedan Airport
Iraq Baghdad Baghdad International Airport
Najaf Al Najaf International Airport
Turkey Istanbul Istanbul Airport
UAE Sharjah Sharjah International Airport [8]

Fleet

Caspian Airlines Tupolev Tu-154M in 2011

Current fleet

As of August 2025, Caspian Airlines operates the following aircraft:[10]

Caspian Airlines Fleet
Aircraft In
service
Orders Passengers Notes
Boeing 737-300 1 140
Boeing 737-400 3 168 EP-CAP stored due to an incident.
Boeing 737-500 3 126
McDonnell Douglas MD-83 5 168
Total 12 2

Former fleet

The airline previously operated the following aircraft:

Accidents and incidents

  • On 15 July 2009, Caspian Airlines Flight 7908, a Tupolev Tu-154M, traveling from Tehran to Yerevan crashed near the Iranian town of Qazvin, killing all 168 people (153 passengers, 15 crew) on board.[4][11]
  • On 27 January 2020, Caspian Airlines Flight 6936, a McDonnell Douglas MD-83 (registered EP-CPZ) suffered a runway excursion at Bandar Mahshahr Airport, Iran. The aircraft came to a stop on a road, injuring 2 of the 144 passengers and crew on board.[7]
  • On April 12, 2021, a Caspian Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-83 performing Flight 6984 from Tehran to Kish rose above its assigned altitude due to an autopilot malfunction. As a result, a Qatar Airways Airbus A350 operating Flight 739, en route from Doha to Los Angeles received a traffic collision avoidance system alert and performed an evasive climb. The Aviation Herald claimed the Qatar jet produced automated warnings about its speed and an impending stall, something Qatar Airways denied. Both aircraft continued to their destinations and landed safely.
  • On January 5, 2022, Caspian Airlines Flight 6904, a Boeing 737-400 (registration EP-CAP) veered off the runway during landing at Isfahan International Airport following a collapse of the left main landing gear, injuring five of the 116 people on board.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Contact Caspian Archived 2010-06-18 at the Wayback Machine." Caspian Airlines. Retrieved on 27 June 2010. "Contact Details 5 Sabonchi St Shahid Beheshti Ave"
  2. ^ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-03-27. p. 62.
  3. ^ a b "Treasury Targets Networks Linked to Iran". www.treasury.gov. Retrieved Jan 29, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Caspian Airlines 150 dead in Iran airline crash - eTurboNews.com". eturbonews.com.
  5. ^ "Iran Bans Leasing Of More Russian-Built Planes". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 2009-08-18. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
  6. ^ "Iran's Caspian Airlines, Taban Air grow B737 fleets". ch-aviation. Archived from the original on 2025-11-17. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
  7. ^ a b "Airwork". www.airwork.nl. Retrieved Jan 29, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Menon, Balaram (2025-12-08). "Sharjah Airport adds Caspian Airlines, opening routes to five Iranian cities". Gulf News: Latest UAE news, Dubai news, Business, travel news, Dubai Gold rate, prayer time, cinema. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  9. ^ "Tehran–Yerevan Airflight Canceled For Sixth Time In 8 Days".
  10. ^ "Global Airline Guide 2025 - Caspian Airlines". Airliner World. September 2025. p. 62.
  11. ^ "BBC News - Scores killed in Iran plane crash". bbc.co.uk.
  12. ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 737-4H6 EP-CAP Isfahan-Shahid Beheshti Airport (IFN)". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 2022-01-06. Retrieved 2022-01-07.

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