Iran Air Iran Air Iran Air, branded as The Airline of the Islamic Republic of Iran (), is the flag carrier of Iran headquartered on the grounds of Mehrabad Airport in Tehran. As of 2018, it operates scheduled services to 71 destinations in Asia and Europe. Iran Air’s main bases are Imam Khomeini International Airport and Mehrabad Airport, both situated in Tehran, capital of Iran. Domestically, Iran Air is commonly known as Homa, which is the name of a mythical Persian griffin, and also the acronym of "Iran National Airlines" in the Persian language. The airline's cargo division, Iran Air Cargo, operates
Name of Iran "Persia" and "Iran" could officially be used interchangeably. However the issue is still debated today. The name "Irān" is first attested in the Avesta as "airyānąm" (the text of which is composed in Avestan, an old Iranian language spoken in northeastern Greater Iran, or in what are now Turkmenistan and Tajikistan). The Modern Persian word "Īrān" () derives immediately from Middle Persian "Ērān" (Pahlavi spelling: "ʼyrʼn"), first attested in an inscription that accompanies the investiture relief of the first Sassanid king Ardashir I at Naqsh-e Rustam. In this inscription, the king's Middle Persian appellation is "ardašīr šāhān šāh ērān" while