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.
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The trip to Mashhad coincided with the anniversary of the birth of Fatima al-Zahra, the daughter of the Prophet Mohammed, according to IRNA.More than 540 people were reported injured by the cyclone, which brought winds of around 260 kilometres (160 miles) an hour and heavy rainfall of around 250 millimetres (10 inches) in 24 hours, the centre said.
More than 39,100 homes were destroyed and more than 13,400 others were partially destroyed, it said. More than 329,500 people were affected by the storm.