SATURDAY OCT 05, 2024
×
Search AeroXplorer
Iran Air To Be Banned From Flying To Europe

Iran Air To Be Banned From Flying To Europe

BY HADI AHMAD Published on September 12, 2024 6 COMMENTS

Iran's national airline is facing an impending ban from various European countries over concerns related to the country's conduct with Russia. Today, we will analyze what this means for Iran Air, Iranians, and competitor airlines.

 

Another Ban

 

Relations between Iran and the Western World have been rather icy in recent decades. Iranian airlines was previously banned from flying to Europe between 2010 and 2016 and briefly in 2020.

 

Following Iran's recent sale of ballistic missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine, various European countries have announced a new round of sanctions on the country in addition to the United States.

 

The United Kingdom, France, and Germany have announced that any flights from Iranian carriers serving their countries will be suspended. This only affects Iran Air, the only Iranian carrier serving airports in these countries.

 



ADVERTISEMENT • REMOVE ALL ADS


 

Iran Air to be Banned by Europe As it Helps Russia with Missiles - Aviation  A2Z
Photo: Aviation A2Z

 

If the United Kingdom and European Union both move to ban Iranian carriers from flying to their countries, the reciprocal might also be true.

 

Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines are the only two airlines from European Union member states flying to Iran with service to Tehran's Imam Khomeini Airport (IKA).

 

With Iran Air facing a ban from European countries, the Iranian government might also move to ban Lufthansa and Austria. It is also likely that because of the European Union's move against Iranian carriers, those two airlines might choose to suspend services on their own accord.

 

Potential Impacts

 

Iran Air's European network consists of eight destinations. According to Simple Flying, Iran Air carried roughly 273,000 passengers between Tehran and Europe in 2023. The airline's European destinations are the following, listed in order of popularity:

 

  • London Heathrow, England (LHR)
  • Milan Malpensa, Italy (MXP)
  • Paris Charles de Gaulle, France (CDG)
  • Hamburg, Germany (HAM)
  • Frankfurt, Germany (FRA)
  • Cologne, Germany (CGN)
  • Vienna, Austria (VIE)
  • Rome Fiumicino, Italy (FCO)

 



ADVERTISEMENT • REMOVE ALL ADS


 

Iran Air to resume flights to Rome on Feb. 3 - Tehran Times
Photo: Tehran Times

 

Iran Air is a comparatively small airline when you look at the other big names serving the Iran-Europe market. While competitors like Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, and Emirates necessitate stopovers in their respective hubs, they offer far more services than Iran Air and thus outcompete them in most cases. Iran Air largely remains a popular option thanks to its nonstop offering.

 

If Iran Air is banned again, passengers will have no choice but to opt for carriers like Turkish or Middle Eastern alternatives. That is not a massive change, given that most passengers from Western countries who fly to Iran are flying these airlines anyway.

 

However, Iran's location puts it right along the flight path of many routes between the Western world and Asia. Countless airlines pay Iran for the right to use its airspace when they operate routes like Amsterdam to Bangkok or Zurich to Singapore.

 

If Iran retaliates with a ban on all European airlines, it could entirely ban them from its airspace entirely. That could lead to longer flights requiring more fuel, thus causing pricier tickets.

 

Türkiye is not a member of the European Union, and airports like Istanbul (IST) are prime locations from which to see old Iranian airliners. Mahan Air, Iran Air, Iran Airtour, ATA Airlines, and Iran Aseman Airlines are just some of the Iranian carriers you'll see at Istanbul Airport.

 



ADVERTISEMENT • REMOVE ALL ADS


 

Iran Air Running Out Of Operational Planes As Lack Of Money And Sanctions  Bite | Iran International
Photo: old.iranintl.com

 

As such, Turkish Airlines is likely to steal most of Iran Air's traffic when it comes to carrying passengers from secondary or primary European hubs.

 

Aside from Tehran, Turkish also offers service to the Iranian cities of Isfahan (IFN), Mashhad (MHD), Shiraz (SYZ), Tabriz (TBZ), and Urmia (OMH).

 

Qatar Airways will be the second airline to benefit significantly as aside from Tehran, the airline serves Isfahan (IFN), Mashhad (MHD), and Shiraz (SYZ). However, the carrier lags behind Turkish when it comes to serving smaller cities in Europe.

 AeroXplorer is on Telegram! Subscribe to the AeroXplorer Telegram Channel to receive aviation news updates as soon as they are released. View Channel 
Hadi Ahmad
Lifelong aviation enthusiast raised in Central Illinois. 777 is the best plane BTW.

Comments (6)

Steven How hypocritical can you get - the EU will ban Iranian airlines because they (Iran) supplied missiles to Russia And EU have not supplied missiles. arms, aircraft, tanks, drones etc to Ukraine???? What a complete bunch of corrupt halfwits they are that 'run' Europe .................. I wouldn't even trust them to 'run' a bath
23d ago • Reply
ShelleyinBoston Big difference between a country attempting to over-run a sovereign country ( Russia - aggressor) and a country attempting to defend said aggression. Cant compare those that support Russia to those that support Ukraine. After 70 years of watching various countries squabble over fly over rights. Its all a temporary tempest. It’ll be solved in a year or two. Or not.
ShelleyinBoston Big difference between a country attempting to over-run a sovereign country ( Russia - aggressor) and a country attempting to defend said aggression. Cant compare those that support Russia to those that support Ukraine. After 70 years of watching various countries squabble over fly over rights. Its all a temporary tempest. It’ll be solved in a year or two. Or not.
Peter A. Braam Steven, you know the difference between apples and oranges and how to compare them…..?
23d ago • Reply
Steven Methinks some CNN watchers here, or would that be MSNBC or any other of the corrupt paid-off'' propaganda channels (which also include the British Biased Claptrap station as well).
James Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752. On 8 January 2020, the Boeing 737-800 flying the route was shot down by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) shortly after takeoff, killing all 176 occupants on board. Where's the outrage over those Iranian murders?
22d ago • Reply

Add Your Comment

SHARE



TAGS

NEWS iran air baniran airiran air europeiran air european baniran air uk baniranian airline ban

RECENTLY PUBLISHED

Delta Unveils Bold Plans for Summer 2025 at Its Atlanta Superhub When people think of the phrase "Atlanta airport", many immediately think of Delta and their incredible presence at the airport. Well, this summer, Delta plans to not only reaffirm that position as Atlanta's hometown airline, but create the biggest schedule ever to be offered from the airline's fortress hub.  NEWS READ MORE »
Ryanair 737 Catches Fire During Takeoff Passengers were evacuated from a Ryanair flight from Brindisi, Italy (BDS) to Turin (TRN) on Thursday morning after the aircraft caught fire shortly after commencing its takeoff roll. NEWS READ MORE »
Qantas to Rescue Stranded Australians in Lebanon with Special 787 Flights Qantas is offering free flights for Australians looking to leave Lebanon next week. See what flights are currently scheduled and find out how stranded nationals can contact the Australian Government. NEWS READ MORE »


SHOP

$2999
NEW!AeroXplorer Aviation Sweater Use code AVGEEK for 10% off! BUY NOW

FOLLOW US ONLINE