Luxury Iranian airline to fly to Minsk on a unique aircraft. Prices are biting

Atlas Air's fleet consists of 14 aircraft, but most of them are small air vessels for 3-5 passengers. Of greatest interest for flights to Belarus is the McDonnell Douglas MD-87, which the carrier uses in a luxurious VIP configuration.

This aircraft was built in 1992. Previously, it operated in Japan for Japan Airlines, then was used in business aviation, and in 2025, it received Iranian registration and joined the Atlas Air fleet.

Павялічыць

The MD-87 cabin has only 25 seats. The seats can be converted into full-fledged sleeping berths, and there is also a separate meeting area and private space. Such a VIP configuration for the MD-87 is very rare, and this type of aircraft itself is now rarely used in the region.

The Atlas Air aircraft already flew to Minsk last Sunday. That's when Belarusian aviation enthusiasts photographed it.

Павялічыць

Ticket sales have already begun. The first flight is scheduled for August 16, 2026, after which flights are planned to operate once a week — on Sundays. However, these flights are not yet displayed on the website of Minsk National Airport.

Павялічыць

The cost of the flight is quite high. A ticket from Tehran to Minsk costs 179,745,600 Iranian tomans, and in the opposite direction – 186,896,600 tomans.

Павялічыць

Toman is a conditional accounting unit used in Iran in daily life. The official currency of the country is the Iranian rial, with one toman equaling ten rials. This system partly helps simplify calculations amid very high inflation and the depreciation of the national currency.

According to the official exchange rate of the National Bank of Belarus, 100,000 Iranian rials cost slightly less than 22 Belarusian kopecks. However, in Iran, there are several exchange rates – from the official to the market rate, which is much closer to the real value of the rial.

If converted into other currencies, a flight from Tehran to Minsk costs approximately 3893 Belarusian rubles at the rate of the National Bank of Belarus. According to the official Iranian rate, this is about 1173 dollars, and according to the current market rate – about 961 dollars.

A flight from Minsk to Tehran is even more expensive – about 4048 Belarusian rubles, or 1220 dollars at the official Iranian rate and about 999 dollars at the market rate.

A round-trip ticket costs 366,642,200 tomans, or 3,666,422,000 rials. This is approximately 7941 Belarusian rubles at the rate of the National Bank of Belarus, 2392 dollars at the official Iranian rate, or about 1960 dollars at the current market rate.

Thus, we are talking not about a regular budget airline flight, but about a very expensive VIP transportation on a rare aircraft with only 25 seats.

Павялічыць

Previously, in 2023, the Iranian Mahan Air already tried to operate a direct regular flight between Tehran and Minsk. From 2010 to 2017, Belavia also flew between the two capitals.

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