The Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) of the Iranian Civil Aviation Authority has released its final report into the events which led to the injuries of two people onboard an Iran Air jet.
At around 1400hrs local time on June 7, 2022, the Airbus A310-300, registration EP-IBK (c/n 671) departed Istanbul as Flight IRA718, bound for Tehran. The aircraft, which was carrying 200 passengers and 12 crew, levelled at a final cruising altitude of 37,000ft as part of the scheduled service, with a journey time of approximately three hours.
The report shows that the aircraft entered Iranian airspace at around 1630hrs local time (some two hours after departing Istanbul). As such, it was controlled by the Tehran Radar Unit by contacting the region’s Airspace Control Centre. Ahead of its preparations for landing in the Iranian capital, the flight crew were cleared to decrease the aircraft altitude and land at Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran. The passenger seatbelt signs in the cabin were switched on.
