Tehran-New York, Direct?

Hossein, a 72- year-old Iranian retiree now living in the United States, remembers the Iran Air Tehran–New York non-stop flight vividly. “The airplane was brand new, the seats roomy and the service was great. All the flight attendants were very polite,” he says. “It was always on time, arriving in New York City 12 hours later, it was unbelievable.”

The last time an Iran Air plane departed Tehran for Kennedy Airport in New York City was November 8, 1979. U.S. aviation authorities ordered the pilot to divert mid-flight to Montreal, as the hostage crisis had just broken out and the United States imposed sanctions on Iran’s aviation industry. Thus ended one of longest direct flight routes of that era.

Six weeks ahead of the 34^th anniversary of that historic flight, the Iranian government has set the aviation industry abuzz with its announcement that it will seeks way to resume the Tehran-NYC connection.

Today, one of the most popular messages trending on the Tehran’s mobile phone network is: “These days girls are asking what they should wear, now that we're about to drop by New York?” The message is meant to be comic, but it reflects Iranians' thirst to rejoin the global community.

While resuming flights to New York carries the whiff of a dream, re-establishing the connection will be a protracted effort, on many levels. The immediate issue is whether Iran Air's fleet includes a plane even capable of flying this route.  The average age of an Iran Air plane is over 25 years, and the national carries today is an aged shadow of its past glory.

When Iran Air first operated its Tehran–NYC flight it used a Boeing 747 SP, an aircraft it had ordered specifically to fly that route. The plane was the Airbus 380 of its time, the most advanced in navigational technology and cabin comfort. Today Iran Air still uses the old bird, which Boeing stopped producing in the1980s. Iran Air's nonstop from Tehran to Caracas, Venezuela still offers many the thrill of flying with this vintage aircraft. However it is deeply unlikely that Federal Aviation Authority will permit a 34-year-old Boeing 747 to land in JFK airport as a regular commerical flight.

Finding the proper airplane to fly the route is the first challenge. Pouria, a young pilot working with one of Iran's private airlines, suggests that Iran Air could lease advanced aircraft from other airliners. “Many Iranian airlines lease their aircraft; Iran Air could find a proper aircraft to meet the air safety standards,” he says.

Several Iranian airliners do indeed lease plans, as despite American sanctions there is an understanding that third party countries can lease old models such as MD–88 and MD–82 or Boeing 737 –200 and 300 to Iran. However the airfare, the cost of operations, fuel and insurance eliminate several types of these airplanes, limiting Iranian airlines' options only to a very specific subset. Iran Air could lease the necessary aircraft if it were willing to pay the price. The question then becomes whether regional airliners would help Iran Air.

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In 1979 Iran Air was the only global airliner in the Middle East with the capability of operating nonstop flights to the Far East and North America. Today the aviation scene in the Middle East has changed drastically. In the fourth decade of Iran’s absence from passenger transit industry there are formidable players in the region. Turkish Airlines, Emirates and Qatar Airways all are established airliners with a global reputation for competence.

Turkish Airlines connect Tehran, along several other Middle Eastern capitals and cities, via Istanbul to several destinations in Europe and North America. Emirates and Qatar Airways operate flights not only to JFK airport in New York City but to Dulles Airport in Washington DC area, to DFW airport in Dallas, TX and to Houston, TX. They also have direct flights from Dubai and Doha to Shiraz and Mashhad international airports in Iran. Iranians who want to travel abroad choose these airliners and European airliners over Iran Air. Their fleet is brand new and their service is excellent.

According to Iran's Civil Aviation Organization, 351,005 passengers travelled from Tehran to Dubai in 2011 alone. In the same year 164,478 passengers flew from Tehran to Istanbul and 92,412 passengers traveled from Tehran to Doha. Overall more than 800,000 passengers traveled from Tehran to airports with direct flights to JFK airport in New York City. These airports are located in Istanbul, Dubai, Doha, Frankfort, Moscow, Rome and London. In a growingly competitive airline industry every passenger counts.

An annual traffic of 100,000 passengers is worth fighting for, particularly when one recalls that Iran’s main incentive in constructing Imam Khomeini International Airport was to operate as a hub for regional air travels. That dream was not the Islamic Republic’s though, it first inspired Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who started the construction of the new airport south of Tehran in the 1970s. Fifty years later the airport is finished, but Iran today is no longer a serious competitor in the global aviation industry. And regional airlines almost certainly have no desire to see it become one.

Despite their many advantages other airlines would lost market share if Iran Air were to resume its direct Tehran–New York flight. The lack of a layover alone would immediately corner a large share of the market flying between North America, home to the largest Iranian diaspora community, and Iran. 

Iranian passengers usually spend hours locked in transit airports. Maryam, a housewife with two children who lives in Chicago, recently spent 13 hours in Rome en route to Tehran. “The airport did not have any place to wait, and no space for the kids to play.” She had to spread a blanket in a corner and sleep on it with her children.

Many travelers loath these lay over hours. Fereshteh, a commercial manager at a travel agency in Tehran, believes a direct flight from Tehran to New York “will be a godsend for the elderly and those who travel with children.” She says “people prefer to be moving on an uncomfortable chair than waiting sitting on one.”

She predicts that Turkish Airlines and Emirates will remain popular for routes to Istanbul and Dubai, but that Iranian passengers traveling to the States “will choose a direct NYC flight in a heartbeat”. There is a little doubt in Tehran that if Iran Air resumes its operations at JFK, it will gain a foothold immediately.

The news has revived old memories for several Iran Air pilots who used to fly directly to the States. For Captain F. a retired Iran Air pilot,the resumption of flights would be a dream realized. “After revolution I always wanted to see THR-NYC on the operation board again,” he says.

Nowadays he cannot hold the controls in a cockpit due to a heart attack, but he says he will be amongst the first passengers on a direct flight. He grows emotional as he recalls the past. “You cannot believe what we were in this region. I want to see that we still can get back to the days of Iran Air's glory.”

For many Iranians a direct flight from Tehran to New York City is much more than a simple takeoff and landing. It is part of a world which ceased to exist 35 years ago. They want to see if they can bring it back.