Minister of Tourism Milinda Moragoda during his recent visit to Iran met with the Chairman and Managing Director of Iran Air Saeid Hesami and discussed several areas for Co-operation as well as a framework to develop the air travel sector. Hesami had pledged his support to set up an information center in Colombo for destination marketing.
Minister Moragoda was accompanied by the Sri Lanka Ambassador to Iran M. M. Suher, Finance Secretary Dr. P. B. Jayasundara and the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management Mr. G. S. M. Palihakkara.
"Iranian Airways" was first established in May 1944 and commenced its first passenger flight right after World War II from Tehran to holy city of Mashhad. Within a period of 17 years (1945-1962) the airline developed into a major domestic route with a few international flights per week. In 1954 another private airline "Pars Airways" was established and initially undertook only freight services to Europe.
Iran’s geographical location, the expansion of its spacious levels, the relative remoteness of crowded areas from each other, the lack of rail and road transportation, the need to initiate safe and fast connections for survey and governmental organizations, and last but not the least, the lack of equipment with a high capacity to revive mutual aviation rights with other countries and securing more welfare and comfort for Iranians, provided the conditions for the Iran’s cabinet of ministers to ratify a proposal suggested by the country’s minister of roads to establish a national airline on February 10th, 1961. Following this decision, Iranian Airways and Pars Airways merged to form a Iran Air with the acronyms and the symbol of the HOMA bird. This new airline commenced operations in April 1962.
Covering the domestic aviation transportation needs accompanied by observing safety principles and forming transportation services with neighboring and far-fetched countries, and also considering simultaneous communal contracts on commercial grounds and interests of the country were among the reasons to establish Iran Air.
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