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Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport is located 30 kilometres from downtown Tehran. The airport has been described as difficult by airline representatives following a tragic incident in January 2020, where a plane took off from the airport, climbed to 2,400 meters, then disappeared from radar and crashed, killing all 176 passengers and crew onboard. The cause of the crash was initially speculated to be linked to a missile barrage, but Tehran officials insisted it was due to engine trouble.
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What You'll Learn
- Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport is located 35km from Tehran
- The airport was conceived before the 1979 revolution due to congestion at the existing airport
- The airport has two terminals and runways and handles all international flights to Tehran
- The Ukrainian jetliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran
- All 176 passengers and crew on board the Ukrainian flight died
Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport is located 35km from Tehran
Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport is located 35 kilometres (22 miles) southwest of Tehran. It is situated near the localities of Robat-Karim and Eslamshahr, at the end of Rabat Karim and Ray counties in Tehran province. The airport is about 30 kilometres from downtown Tehran and is accessible via the Tehran-Qom and Tehran-Saveh freeways.
The airport was conceived before the 1979 revolution as the existing Mehrabad Airport was becoming congested. Construction began in 1975 or 1977, in collaboration with local and American companies, and the airport was initially called Tehran or Aryamehr International Airport. The original designers were the American company Tippetts-Abbett-McCarthy-Stratton and the Iranian firm Farman-Farmayan. The revolution and the Iran-Iraq War caused delays, and work on the runway resumed in 1989. In 1995, the French firm Aéroports de Paris was selected as the primary consultant, and construction of the terminal, redesigned by Paul Andreu, started. The airport was inaugurated on 1 February 2004 and renamed after Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iran's first supreme leader.
Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport is the international airport of Tehran, receiving all international flights to the city, while Mehrabad Airport caters to domestic traffic. It is a hub for multiple airlines, including Iran Air, Iran Aseman Airlines, Mahan Air, and Meraj Airlines. In the fiscal year ending on 20 March 2019, the airport handled 7.27 million passengers, ranking it as the third busiest in Iran.
The airport has two terminals and two runways, with plans to open more terminals in the future. It covers 13,400 hectares (33,000 acres) and is equipped with various facilities, including hotels, banks, currency exchange offices, and parking lots. The airport is also served by a station on Line 1 of the Tehran Metro, which opened in August 2017.
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The airport was conceived before the 1979 revolution due to congestion at the existing airport
Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport is the international airport of Tehran, the capital of Iran. It is located 35 kilometres (22 miles) southwest of Tehran and is named after Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran's first supreme leader. The airport is spread across 13,400 hectares (33,000 acres) and has two terminals and runways. All international flights into Tehran are served by the airport, while domestic flights land at Mehrabad Airport.
The airport was conceived before the 1979 revolution due to congestion at the existing Mehrabad Airport. Tehran was then the centre of the Middle East, and air traffic was increasing rapidly. The Iranian government decided to build a new airport for Tehran, and construction began in 1977, 35 kilometres (22 mi) southwest of the city. The airport was initially called Tehran or Aryamehr International Airport, and the original designers were the American company Tippetts-Abbett-McCarthy-Stratton and the Iranian firm Farman-Farmayan. However, the revolution and the Iran-Iraq war caused delays, and work on the runway did not recommence until 1989.
The airport was inaugurated on 1 February 2004, during celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of the revolution. The plan was for it to handle all international flights to Tehran, and officials hoped it would become the largest airport in the Middle East. However, commentators noted that the airport was unlikely to overcome existing barriers to tourism, such as the government's rigid social rules.
In 2015, French corporation AccorHotels opened a Novotel and an Ibis hotel on the airport premises, marking the entry of the first international hotel chain into the Iranian market since the 1979 revolution. Most of the airlines that fly into Imam Khomeini Airport are based in Turkey and the Middle East, with Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines being the only Western airlines serving the airport.
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The airport has two terminals and runways and handles all international flights to Tehran
Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKIA) is Iran's main international airport, handling all international flights into Tehran. IKIA is located 35 kilometres (22 miles) southwest of Tehran, in the Tehran province, and is named for Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran's first supreme leader. The airport has two runways and two terminals, with a third in the planning phase. Terminal 1 is currently the only operational terminal, receiving around 700 flights and 8 million passengers per year.
The airport was conceived before the 1979 revolution, as the existing Mehrabad Airport was becoming congested. Construction began in 1977, but the revolution and the Iran-Iraq War caused delays. Work on the runway recommenced in 1989, and in 1995, the French firm Aéroports de Paris was selected as the primary consultant for the construction of the terminal. The airport was inaugurated in February 2004, and by November 2007, all international flights had moved from Mehrabad to IKIA.
IKIA is a hub for multiple airlines and, as of the fiscal year ending on 20 March 2019, ranked third in terms of passenger traffic in Iran. The airport offers specialised services for older passengers and individuals with disabilities, as well as transportation services for animals. There are also two hotels located in front of the terminals, the Rexan and Remis, which are accessible via a glass bridge or a free shuttle.
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The Ukrainian jetliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran
On January 8, 2020, a Ukrainian jetliner crashed shortly after taking off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport, killing all 176 passengers and crew members on board. The plane, a Boeing 737-800 operated by Ukraine International Airlines, was en route to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. According to FlightRadar24, a flight-tracking service, the jet climbed to an altitude of nearly 8,000 feet before suddenly disappearing from radar.
Initial reports suggested that the crash was due to technical difficulties, with Iranian officials attributing it to mechanical or engine problems. Ukrainian officials initially agreed but later refrained from speculating on the cause until the investigation was complete. There was also speculation that the crash might be linked to missile attacks by Iran on US forces in Iraq just hours before, but this was disputed by the Iranian military.
The crash site, located on the outskirts of Tehran, was scattered with flaming debris and passengers' belongings. Rescue teams and investigators worked through the debris to gather information and search for the plane's black boxes, which were eventually found. The black boxes, which include a cockpit voice recorder and a flight data recorder, are crucial for determining the cause of the crash.
Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport, located 35 kilometres (22 miles) southwest of the city, is the main international airport serving Tehran, the capital of Iran. The airport has two terminals and two runways and is a hub for multiple airlines. However, the airline whose plane crashed, Ukraine International Airlines, decided to suspend its flights to Tehran until further notice following the incident.
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All 176 passengers and crew on board the Ukrainian flight died
On 8 January 2020, a Ukraine International Airlines flight took off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport, bound for Kyiv. The Boeing 737 plane was carrying 176 passengers and crew members, including 15 children. Soon after takeoff, the aircraft crashed near the airport, killing everyone on board. There were no survivors among the 176 crew and passengers, who mostly held Iranian and Canadian nationalities.
The cause of the crash was initially unknown, with Tehran officials attributing it to engine trouble and technical difficulties. However, amidst escalating tensions between Iran and the United States, speculation arose regarding a possible link to missile strikes. The Iranian authorities initially denied responsibility, but investigations by Western intelligence agencies and the Iranian public revealed that the plane had been shot down by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Analysis of videos by The New York Times supported this conclusion, showing that the aircraft was hit by two short-range missiles launched 30 seconds apart. The first missile knocked out the transponder, and the aircraft was struck by the second missile 23 seconds later, after which it veered right, caught fire, and disappeared from view. Ukrainian investigators believed the cockpit crew were killed instantly by shrapnel, but analysis of the cockpit voice recorder indicated that they attempted to fly the aircraft for at least 19 seconds after the first strike.
The tragic incident had a profound impact, particularly on the Iranian and Canadian communities. Many Iranian-Canadians affiliated with Canadian universities lost their lives, and the crash was the largest loss of Canadian lives in aviation since 1985. The victims also included a newly married couple, students, and academics. The Ukrainian flight was popular among Iranians travelling to Canada due to the absence of direct flights between the two countries since 2012.
The crash highlighted the challenges associated with operating at Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport, which was considered a "difficult" airport by Ukraine International Airlines representatives. The airport, located 35 kilometres southwest of Tehran, is a hub for multiple airlines and handles all international flights to the city.
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Frequently asked questions
On January 8, 2020, a Ukraine International Airlines jetliner carrying 176 passengers and crew crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport, killing everyone on board.
The exact cause of the crash is still under investigation. Iranian officials have attributed the crash to a mechanical issue, specifically a fire in one of the engines. Other sources have speculated that the accident was linked to missile barrages, but Tehran officials insist engine trouble was the cause.
The Iranian government launched an investigation into the cause of the crash. Several countries, including Ukraine, banned flights from Iranian airspace following the incident.
