Women-only flight lands in Mashhad for first time

TEHRAN: An Iranian airline conducted a rare women-only flight on Sunday, landing for the first time in the holy city of Mashhad in the northeast, state media reported.

The Aseman Airlines flight by Shahrzad Shams -- one of Iran´s pioneering women pilots -- carried 110 passengers on board, according to the official IRNA news agency.

Dubbed the “Iran Banoo” (Iran Lady) flight, the plane touched down at Hasheminejad International Airport in Mashhad, Iran´s second-largest city and home to the revered shrine of Imam Reza, one of Shiite Islam´s holiest sites.

“This is the first time a women-only flight, with both female passengers and crew, lands in Mashhad,” the official IRNA news agency said, without specifying the flight´s departure point.

Iran´s aviation industry has seen some women become pilots in recent years, though it remains uncommon.

In October 2019, pilot Neshat Jahandari and co-pilot Forouz Firouzi became the first women to fly a passenger flight in the Islamic republic´s history, according to local media.