Welcome to this FR from inside Iran. Term is over and I decided to head down South to catch the sun and discover non-Persian regions of Iran. My friend and I booked the trip one day before departure for 45€ (177k Tomans).
First, here are some impressions on the way to the airport. Nothing special, but the airport is quite far from Esfahan, it's a decent 30 minutes without traffic. Once you've passed the gate it's still a km before you arrive. Sadly no public transport connection to the airport. I believe airport shuttle buses in Iran would be great bizz, whether IFN, IKA, THR etc. Only Mashhad and Tehran have good metro connections so far.
In Iran there are two security checks, one before check-in (mainly luggage screen) and one after check-in (mainly body-check).
Check-In was swift and easy, the agent kindly said my bag was too heavy (26kg for 20kg allowed) but also said it's not an issue an all. We handed over the travel itinerary and he gave us our boarding passes. We then sat down in the hall, which is before security that leads to airside.
My BP which was given to me at check-in.
I wanted to take photos from the tarmac, but preferred to be discreet. This us proceeding to board by bus. Boarding was delayed by 25 minutes without announcements.
Views from the bus - Kish A320 which did not have Iranian registry and Nasim Air 737 which I have no idea what airline this is and where it comes from.
Our plane! A320, 14 years old, originally with ANA in Japan, ended up in Iran via Armenia…
Boarding, crossing a rusty business class first.
My seat is emergency exit row! Pitch!
The crew spoke good English and was smiling. Safety demonstrations were professionnally conducted. They apologised for the delay which they said was due to late arrival from Tehran.
Tarmac and take-off! I admit the plane made a bit of strange noises as we took off… but everything went fine. Sadly missed the sunset as the plane was delayed.
Mid-flight impression.
Food service! As always pretty amazing for domestic flight with 1h20 flight time.
The green stuff is Kuku Sabzi, Omelette with herbs, or rather: Herbs with omelette. Very delicious. The golden-yellow is kind of chicken paste/paté, not too bad either. There was also an apple and a sesame snack.
The inflight magazine was almost entirely in Persian, and my friend noticed his seat pocket had the Jan-Feb edition and I had the Feb-Mar edition. In both, the new A321s are the big star! As I write this report, the first A330-200 has also arrived which is great news!
The Japanese identity is still visible!
Approach to Bandar Abbas, the gate of the Persian Gulf, just on the strait of Hormooz! Outside temperature 24° Celsius (it was 10 in Esfahan!)
Swift disembarking and end of this report as I did not want to take pictures in the building, which is modern, clean and functional.
BONUS: HORMOOZ AND QESHM ISLANDS
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Verdict
Iran Air
8.4/10
Cabin8.0
Cabin crew8.0
Entertainment/wifi7.5
Meal/catering10.0
Isfahan - IFN
7.1/10
Efficiency9.0
Access5.0
Services6.5
Cleanliness8.0
Bandar Abbas - BND
7.0/10
Efficiency9.0
Access5.0
Services5.0
Cleanliness9.0
Conclusion
Flying IR is always exciting. The crew and food lived up to the expectations, just as the delay was a very Persian occurence. Things went on routinely, passengers are nice and crews are professional. I would now recommend domestic flights without doubts as spare parts have started to arrive since easing of sanctions, just like the new A321s.
16 LIKESLIKE TO THANK THE AUTHORTHANKS ! FLIGHT-REPORT LIKED
Thank you VERY much for this report. It's difficult for me to comment, because I don't know what to expect from a country like this. I'm just happy that you made it home safe and sound, and wrote this report.
I'd like to know what the islamic law says about airlines that let their passengers starve on their flights. Looks like Iran Air is free of sin in this regard, but LATAM (one I frequently fly with) would burn in hell for all eternity. Or at least give them some slashes!
It's very iteresting to see an inflight magazine exploring new fields of journalism, with pictures of repressed women and bearded bigots.
No public transportation to the airport? I will never complain about the transfer fees to my local airport again! :O
Hmmm I'm not sure what to reply. What do you mean by "a country like this"?
The reason why IR still serves so much food is that a) they have not changed much in 50 years and b) Persian's sense of hospitality is immense and people would complain very much if they got no food.
Taxis in Iran are reasonably affordable for foreigners, but it's still annoying because I believe Public Transport is a greener and cheaper option.
"This kind of country"? I mean, should I be shocked because the iranian authorities don't invest more in connectivity to the airport? Or should I be glad the airport is in working condition in spite of sactions and the like? Should I be shocked that taking photographs is a dangerous activity? Or should I take into account the bad political situation in the neighborhood?
Anyway, I think it's great that we have a platform like flight-report.com to show what things are like in those countries one will most probably never visit!
Well, it's never good to judge things outright without having been somewhere. Taking pictures of transport infrastructure is forbidden in a lot of places, including the London tube. Yes, there is a dictatorship in place, but that is also the case in many countries where people travel too. And you say "a country one will never go to". Well I'm going there, and Iran is an increasingly popular destination for tourists. The country has a lot to offer, has a good hotel offer, active couchsurfing community and incredibly incredibly kind and hospitable people who just wish for one thing: not to be judged by the acts of their government. So your reply and your negativity does annoy me, because it counteracts the many efforts people make, including me, to fight clichés and open up minds in all political spectrums and regions. I wish you would come to Iran and see for yourself. Even if you have an American passport, you can come to Iran, and for most other nationalities, getting a visa is possible and travel in Iran is affordable and very safe.
Hwat?! I didn't know I was sounding negative about Iranian people! When I say "a country I will never go to" I'm talking about my own personal circumstances. And I'm not saying Iran is exceptional because it has a dictatorship. We had one in my country not long ago and I know that some circumstances can be restrictive, apart from the the regional political or economical situation, etc. Either I'm not choosing the correct words or you are reading in them more than what I'm trying to say. I apologize for my share in the problem.
It's probably a bit of both, I get hyper defensive about Iran because there is so much negative press and I apologise for my side. Yes, when someone says things "a country like this" "a country I will never vist", it brings a bad image of this country to my mind. But you're probably right that I put too much meaning in other people's comments. All good.
Nasim Air, it seems is an Isfahan-based airline, according to ch-aviation. And they have a website, but I wasn't able to navigate through it.
Why all the discretion, if I might ask?
"The crew and food lived up to the expectations, just as the delay was a very Persian occurrence." -Why is this so? Old equipments need replacing, or just the norm in Persian Iran?
It seems taking pictures of transport infrastructure in particular airports is more or less forbidden. However it isn't very clear, I have seen very detailes FRs here, but I prefer to keep a low profile, in particular as a foreigner, as I would not like to end up being accused of spying. Yes, delays are fairly common here, and delays below 30 min are not really counted as a delay. Everything has its own rythm in Iran :-) but everything works out in the end most of the time.
Boarding a plane from the tarmac is the way it should be, so that you can see the plane entirely from the outside. Thanks for sharing this flight, an unusual one from the website's data base perspective !
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10 Comments
I'd like to know what the islamic law says about airlines that let their passengers starve on their flights. Looks like Iran Air is free of sin in this regard, but LATAM (one I frequently fly with) would burn in hell for all eternity. Or at least give them some slashes!
It's very iteresting to see an inflight magazine exploring new fields of journalism, with pictures of repressed women and bearded bigots.
No public transportation to the airport? I will never complain about the transfer fees to my local airport again! :O
The reason why IR still serves so much food is that a) they have not changed much in 50 years and b) Persian's sense of hospitality is immense and people would complain very much if they got no food.
Taxis in Iran are reasonably affordable for foreigners, but it's still annoying because I believe Public Transport is a greener and cheaper option.
"This kind of country"? I mean, should I be shocked because the iranian authorities don't invest more in connectivity to the airport? Or should I be glad the airport is in working condition in spite of sactions and the like? Should I be shocked that taking photographs is a dangerous activity? Or should I take into account the bad political situation in the neighborhood?
Anyway, I think it's great that we have a platform like flight-report.com to show what things are like in those countries one will most probably never visit!
Thanks again for sharing!
Yes, there is a dictatorship in place, but that is also the case in many countries where people travel too. And you say "a country one will never go to". Well I'm going there, and Iran is an increasingly popular destination for tourists. The country has a lot to offer, has a good hotel offer, active couchsurfing community and incredibly incredibly kind and hospitable people who just wish for one thing: not to be judged by the acts of their government. So your reply and your negativity does annoy me, because it counteracts the many efforts people make, including me, to fight clichés and open up minds in all political spectrums and regions.
I wish you would come to Iran and see for yourself. Even if you have an American passport, you can come to Iran, and for most other nationalities, getting a visa is possible and travel in Iran is affordable and very safe.
GORGEOUS photos of Hormooz and Qeshm islands!
Nasim Air, it seems is an Isfahan-based airline, according to ch-aviation. And they have a website, but I wasn't able to navigate through it.
Why all the discretion, if I might ask?
"The crew and food lived up to the expectations, just as the delay was a very Persian occurrence."
-Why is this so? Old equipments need replacing, or just the norm in Persian Iran?
Thanks again for sharing!
Yes, delays are fairly common here, and delays below 30 min are not really counted as a delay. Everything has its own rythm in Iran :-) but everything works out in the end most of the time.
Thanks for sharing this flight, an unusual one from the website's data base perspective !
Nice pictures of the road towards IFN.
Pretty generous of them to let you through without any hassle, despite exceeding the limit by 6kg.
Great spotting shots, you caught some really interesting stuff!
Meal looks great.
I cannot wait until they start sending their new toys to Stockholm and Gothenburg as well (in the future, I hope).
Wonderful bonus, thanks for sharing.
Have a good one, see you!
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