Sunday, 27 July 2025

Mahan Air smuggle former Singapore Airlines Boeing 777's

Iran’s Mahan Air has discreetly expanded its wide-body fleet by acquiring five Boeing 777-200 aircraft, formerly operated by Singapore Airlines and NokScoot. On the 15th of July 2025, five aircraft departed from Cambodia's Siem Reap Angkor International airport (SAI/VDSA) in close succession. These aircraft underwent a complex, multi-country transfer process designed to circumvent longstanding U.S. and European sanctions on Iran’s aviation sector.

The jets, previously stored at an aircraft graveyard in Alice Springs in Australia (ASP/YBAS)), and later moved across several Asian airports—including Lanzhou, China (LHW/ZLLL) and Siem Reap, Cambodia (SAI/VDSA)—were re-registered in Madagascar before landing in Iran. Their transponders were turned off mid-flight, marking yet another example of aircraft transfers veiled in opacity.




Due to international sanctions, Iranian carriers like Mahan Air and Iran Air (IR) are barred from acquiring aircraft from manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus, as well as from most mainstream leasing companies. In response, Iran’s aviation industry often relies on indirect, third-party arrangements that obscure the true destination of aircraft until the final stages of delivery.

In this instance, the five Boeing 777-200s, each over two decades old, were initially flown by Singapore Airlines and then later by NokScoot, a low-cost Thai carrier.

After NokScoot’s collapse in 2020, the aircraft were stored in Alice Springs. Between September 2023 and February 2024, they were sold to Ion Aviation, a U.S.-based entity, and briefly registered under U.S. tail numbers: N99001 through N99005.


The details of the 5 Boeing 777-212 aircraft are:
5R-HER MSN 28522 previously Singapore 9V-SRG and NokScoot HS-XBB
N99001 MSN 33369 previously Singapore 9V-SRP and NokScoot HS-XBF
N99002 MSN 32334 previously Singapore 9V-SRL and NokScoot HS-XBE
N99003 MSN 30866 previously Singapore 9V-SRH and NokScoot HS-XBC
The 5th aircraft had all information blocked.

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