Iran Air, the only carrier operating flights from Iran to European countries, was forced to suspend flights to Europe after the introduction of European sanctions, Director of the Iranian Air Carriers Association Maksoud Asadi Samani told ILNA.
“The only airline that flew to Europe in our country was Iran Air, and given the new sanctions imposed by the European Union against Iran Air, no Iranian plane will fly to Europe after this,” he said.
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Flights to European cities were in high demand among Iranians, Samani said.
“In the current situation, some European flights will from now on be made via connecting flights in third countries, such as Türkiye or the UAE,” he added.
According to Samani, under “special conditions” that apply to countries in the region, some foreign airlines can fly to Iran in certain cases.
Samani suggested that some European airlines would organize direct flights for Iran Air customers. At the same time, he said that transit flights via Turkey would be the most economical way to get to Europe.
Commenting on the sanctions, Samani criticized the restrictions for the fact that they would lead to an increase in prices for flights to European destinations.
“Those who are concerned about human rights are increasing the pressure on the lives of Iranians by imposing sanctions. They brazenly say that they do not want these sanctions to harm the people of Iran, but the effect of these sanctions directly affects the lives of Iranians,” the director of the Iranian Air Carriers Association emphasized.
On October 14, the European Union added seven organizations and seven individuals to its sanctions list, including Iranian airlines Iran Air, Mahan Air, and Saha Airlines. EU authorities justified the sanctions by suspecting Iran of transferring missiles and drones to Russia and Yemen’s Houthis. Moscow and Tehran deny supplying Iranian weapons.
The sanctions regime imposed by the EU on Iran for cooperation with Russia and support for “military groups and organizations in the Middle East” will be in effect until the end of July 2025. Currently, sanctions under this regime have been imposed on more than 20 legal entities and individuals.