Iran has put an Airbus A340-300, registration EP-IGI, into government service as its new VIP transport after the previous state A340 was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike earlier this year. The aircraft, MSN 002 and the second A340 ever built, entered the Iranian government fleet on 11 September and was used to carry President Masoud Pezeshkian to New York for the UN General Assembly, with a refuelling stop in Algiers.
The jet was transferred from Iran Aseman Airlines, where it had previously operated in commercial service, before refurbishment into a VIP layout. Its deployment underscores the restrictions facing Iranian aviation under sanctions, which continue to limit access to newer long-haul aircraft and push the state to repurpose older widebodies for official travel.
EP-IGI is 34 years old and was originally delivered in 1992. Formerly operated by Virgin Atlantic, it has drawn attention because a rare early-production airframe has been turned into the head-of-state transport for a sanctioned country with a depleted government fleet.