Iran’s civil aviation chief, Abuzar Shirdari, confirmed that Iranian authorities moved 36 aircraft to airports outside the country as part of steps to protect the air fleet and aviation infrastructure. He did not specify how many planes were actually sent abroad, nor did he name the countries or airports that received them.
Shirdari said the redeployment was part of a broader plan to reduce risks facing Iranian civil aviation in light of military actions against Iran. He said the measures included 133 separate transfers from Imam Khomeini and Mehrabad airports to locations considered safer, describing it as one of the largest civilian aircraft redeployments inside Iran in decades.
In May 2026, CBS reported, citing American officials, that some Iranian aircraft had been stationed during the war at a Pakistan Air Force base, which gave them some protection from possible attacks. The Iranian official’s comments also echoed a historical precedent from the 1991 Gulf War.
During that war, Iraq moved dozens of military aircraft to Iran to prevent their destruction in the coalition air campaign. Afterward, Iran kept most of those planes, including fighter jets and transport aircraft, and later treated them as compensation for the Iran-Iraq War. Baghdad has repeatedly demanded their return over the years, but Iran has not handed them back.
