Last Passenger Airbus A300B4 Retired

Iran Air has said farewell to the last Airbus A300B4 serving passenger operations.

While Iran Air has said farewell to this type, there are still A300s that are serving as freighters; it isn’t uncommon for freighters to outlive passenger planes.

Not only has this retired airframe served a remarkable 41 years of service, but it also represents the oldest passenger aircraft produced by the planemaker.

The A300B4 operated its final flight on June 12, however, where it flew from Jeddah through to Isfahan, the retirement representing yet another changing of the guard as some of the oldest airframes produced by Airbus say farewell.

For Iran Air, the retirement is necessary; its fleet is among the oldest in the world, with many question marks over some of the aircraft it still operates, due to continued political tensions in recent times.

The airline does have some A300s, which are still in service. This includes the A300-600R, which has averaged over 30 years, a remarkable feat for a commercial aircraft, and over 40 years with the A300B4, highlighting its exceptional longevity.

This indicates that, despite some arguments suggesting the airline’s inability to maintain its aircraft, it has nevertheless been able to keep the A300B4 flying suitably for some time.

Additionally, from Airbus’ standpoint, the A300 represents a significant part of what the planemaker has evolved into with this first iteration. It is a key component in building the foundation for the future of commercial aircraft programs.

Many point to the A300 as key to the development of the A330 and then the A350; both of these airframes are important for Airbus to advance its commercial aeroplanes division, but even the foundation lies in narrowbodies too.

Looking At The A300B4’s History

The aircraft in question, which is registered as EP-IBG, was first delivered to Iran Air in December 1986. During its time in the industry, it flew with many operators.

Initially, the jet was delivered to KarAir as OH-LAA before being transferred to Finnair’s operations four years later, where it remained in service for eight years.

Next, the aircraft then jumped over the United Kingdom, where it was leased from Air Scandic to Caledonian Airways, only to be returned a handful of months later in 1998 as G-TTMC, before re-emerging in 1999.

However, the aircraft truly found new life when it was delivered to Turkish Airlines, following a lease from MNG Airlines, where it was registered as TC-MNY from December 2004 to February 2006.

In June 2006, the Airbus A300B4 was formally taken up by Iran Air on lease from ACT Airlines, where it operated from that point forward until it was withdrawn from service, based on available fleet data, on August 17 2025.