On Monday, March 16, 2026, the press service of the Israeli Air Force announced on social media that it had destroyed an Iranian government Airbus A340-313X passenger aircraft at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran, which had been used to transport Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Image: Israeli Air Force via X
The Air Force destroyed the plane of the leader of the Iranian terrorist regime at the “Maharavd” airport in Tehran – the plane was used by Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Iranian terrorist regime, other senior officials from the terrorist regime, and elements of the Iranian army, to promote military procurement and manage relations with the Axis countries through domestic and international flights.
The destruction of the plane harms the ability of the leadership of the Iranian terrorist regime to coordinate with the Axis countries, to build military power, and to restore the terrorist regime’s ability to rebuild. This will deprive the Iranian regime of another strategic asset.
Israeli Air Force
The aircraft destroyed last night was an Airbus A340-313 (serial no. MSN 257, registration EP-IGA), which had been acquired in 2015 from the Tajik airline Asian Express Airline, where it had carried the registration EY-680, through the intermediary role of Iranian businessman Babak Zanjani. Earlier, it had been operated by the following airlines: Air Canada (registration C-GDVV, from 1999), Air Jamaica (6Y-JMP), Turkish Airlines (TC-JIK), and AirBlue of Pakistan (AP-EDF).
In September 2015, it was delivered to Mehrabad Airport under the new registration EP-AJA and was initially assigned to Meraj Airlines, after which it underwent local modifications for VIP transport. It served to transport the Supreme Leader and later also the president of Iran. It then flew from 2017 under the registration EP-DAA with Dena Air, but just a year later, as EP-IGA, it was transferred directly to the Air Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran. During VIP transport missions, it flew under the callsign DENA-01 or JJ 25. It was referred to as the Iranian Air Force One. The aircraft had been grounded since March 3 because of the closure of Iranian airspace and had not been used since then.
It is worth adding that other types of aircraft are also used to transport Iranian government officials, such as two Boeing 707s, including one formerly named Shahin for transporting the Ayatollah, as well as smaller aircraft: an Airbus A321 (EP-IPD), four Dassault Falcon 50s (including one used by the Ayatollah), a Dassault Falcon 20 and Falcon 900EX, five Fokker F27 Friendships, and an older Lockheed JetStar, now rarely used. Their current condition is not known, however, especially in the context of the latest attack on Mehrabad Airport, while in recent weeks many combat and transport aircraft have also reportedly been destroyed (The Last Operational F-14 Tomcats Likely Destroyed, Israeli F-35I Adir Shoots Down Iranian Yak-130, Qatar Shoots Down Two Iranian Su-24MK Tactical Bombers)
חיל-האוויר השמיד את מטוסו של מנהיג משטר הטרור האיראני בשדה התעופה ״מהאראבד״ שבטהרן – המטוס שימש את עלי ח׳אמנהאי, מנהיג משטר הטרור האיראני, בכירים נוספים ממשטר הטרור וגורמים בצבא איראן, לקידום רכש צבאי ולניהול קשרים עם מדינות הציר באמצעות טיסות פנים וחוץ.
השמדת המטוס פוגעת… pic.twitter.com/lOtRRIHTff
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) March 16, 2026
IAF destroys the A340 (EP-IGA) at Mehrabad Airport. Since the northern runway was blocked (Judging by the previous Planet Lab image) the aircraft most likely was at:
Southern hangar: 35.684905,51.308822
or
Walled emplacement: 35.688347,51.296574https://t.co/iFRp0fizJz pic.twitter.com/0z1FUBcXp7— OSGINT (@posted_news) March 16, 2026