Shadow Transfer: MD-82 Makes Suspected Covert Journey Toward Iran
Ladt update; June 6
On 26 February 2026, an MD-82 aircraft registered as T7-EDO (c/n 53017)departed from Budiarto Airport (WIRR) near Jakarta, Indonesia, and flew to Batam Hang Nadim Airport (WIDD/BTH). From there, the aircraft continued on to U-Tapao Airport (VTBU) in Thailand. Its ultimate destination is widely believed to be Iran.
According to aviation database Planespotters, the aircraft is expected to enter service with Iranian carrier ATA Airlines.
The jet had been parked at Budiarto Airport for more than two years — from 7 February 2024 until its departure on 26 February 2026.
This illegal import strongly resembles the import of an MD-82 from Airfast Indonesia registered PK-OCR. That aircraft was also parked at Budiarto Airport and was ferried to Iran in March 2025 under the registration T7-FRI. This aircraft is now EP-TZB flying for ATA Airlines in Iran.
The photo is a screenshot taken of a video showing the takeoff of T7-EDO from Batam airport to U-Tapao. All titles were removed and only the yellow rudder reminds of the Airfast livery.
A Familiar Pattern
Iran has repeatedly moved aircraft into the country through opaque and often unlawful transfer routes in recent years. Numerous previous cases have documented similar ferry flights involving registration changes and identity masking.
This aircraft was formerly operated by Airfast Indonesia under the registration PK-OCU.
Flight tracking data briefly showed the aircraft using ICAO hex code 500336 — a combination previously associated with another aircraft. Flightradar showed registration T7-ASA2 based the previous aircraft which used this hex code.
At approximately 09:30 UTC on 26 February, the aircraft arrived at U-Tapao. Notably, during the flight from Batam, the aircraft’s ICAO hex code was changed.
Flight tracking platforms later displayed the hex code 5003F6, identifying the aircraft as T7-HLM. That hex code had previously been used by an Avro RJ100 operated by Iranian airline Mehr Airways — suggesting deliberate identity manipulation.
The aircraft remained on the ground at U-Tapao until June 6. It finally left U-tapao and flew to Dhaka
Questionable Registration
The use of the T7 registration prefix — assigned to San Marino — is highly likely to have occurred without authorization from the country’s aviation authorities.
San Marino’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) recently issued a safety warning stating that several aircraft registrations had been unlawfully used in schemes linked to aircraft transfers to Iran.
The registrations identified include:
- T7-AKR
- T7-FRI
- T7-HMD
- T7-HRA
- T7-TNA
This website documented the illegal flights by T7-AKR and T7-HRA in this article. The T7-HMD registration has no available information.
In its statement, the CAA urged international authorities to act:
“We greatly appreciate your cooperation and assistance in transmitting this information and respectfully recommend that if any of the referenced aircraft are currently within an ICAO Member State territory, they be grounded immediately.”
The presence of T7-EDO in Thailand now raises fresh concerns that another aircraft may soon join Iran’s fleet through a shadow transfer — continuing a pattern that has drawn increasing scrutiny from aviation regulators worldwide.
The photo was made by Muhammad Aria Alauddin
