Rock fragmentation plays a critical role in the efficiency of downstream mining operations and in the overall economics of open-pit production. This study investigates the performance of air-deck blasting under full-scale production conditions at the Gol-e-Gohar No. 1 open-pit iron ore mine, Iran. . It compares its results with those of conventional fully coupled blasting. Over two months, 14 production blasts were analyzed, including 7 conventional blasts and 7 air-deck blasts selected under comparable geological and operational conditions. Fragmentation was evaluated using a consistent image-based analysis procedure, and key particle-size distribution indices, namely D20, D50, and D80, were obtained from cumulative size distribution curves. In addition to fragmentation characteristics, operational performance was assessed through specific charge, specific drilling, blast-hole productivity, oversize fraction, muckpile condition, and shovel loading behavior. The results showed that air-deck blasting generated finer and more uniform fragmentation than the conventional method, with D20, D50, and D80 reduced by approximately 30.0%, 18.6%, and 20.7%, respectively. The improved fragmentation also enhanced digging and loading conditions, leading to an approximately 10% reduction in shovel loading time and a 9% increase in blast-hole productivity. Statistical evaluation confirmed that the differences between the two blasting approaches were significant for the tested field dataset. In contrast, Split-Desktop-based statistical validation produced coefficients of determination (R²) in the range of 0.71-0.73 and RMSE values between 8.9% and 10.1%. Although the findings are site-specific and should be verified under different rock-mass and operational conditions, they demonstrate that air-deck blasting is an effective and practical technique for improving fragmentation quality and operational efficiency in open-pit mining operations.