Two Newly Purchased Aircraft Detained

TEHRAN (Iran News) Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the Transportation Exhibition, Abdolhay said that all Iran Air flights to Europe have been completely suspended. He explained that the scope of sanctions is not limited to Iran Air itself, noting that even airlines operating in neighboring countries are not permitted to carry Iranian passengers from Iran to European destinations.

“This issue is being pursued through legal channels, but resolving it requires intensive diplomatic efforts,” he said.

The acting head of Iran Air emphasized that although the airline owns 20 aircraft, the majority of flights are currently being operated with only eight aircraft, as two newly purchased planes are under detention.

He also disclosed that Iran Air owes around $15 million to airports in Istanbul, Najaf, Dubai, Jeddah, and Medina. According to him, operational problems related to flights to Istanbul have not yet been resolved, though negotiations are underway and talks are expected to continue over the coming week to resume these flights.

Abdolhay further noted that the airline’s financial difficulties have accumulated over years, with historical debts reaching approximately 43 trillion tomans. He attributed this situation to an imbalance between revenues and costs over the past 11 years.

He stressed that these challenges have severely affected Iran Air’s ability to maintain regular international operations and highlighted the urgent need for financial restructuring and diplomatic solutions to address the airline’s ongoing constraints.

Abdollahy, commenting on the airline’s legal action in international courts to regain its flight routes, said that the resumption of flights to the European Union requires intensive diplomacy and a different bureaucratic process, which is being pursued through the efforts of the company’s legal department in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He said, on the second day of the 9th International Transportation and Logistics Exhibition, in response to IRNA, that prior to the suspension of European flights, sanctions against Iran’s aviation industry and Iran Air were already in place in areas such as aircraft parts, flight operations, insurance, leasing, and fuel.

He explained that, for example, fuel restrictions forced the airline to use aircraft such as the Airbus A330, capable of flying the entire outbound and return route without refueling, or alternatively to carry fewer passengers.

Abdolhay noted that as a result, the number of flights gradually declined until, eventually, flights to the European Union were suspended for political reasons. He added that even airlines operating in neighboring countries that intended to transport Iranian passengers to Europe were not permitted to do so.

Stressing that these challenges will not be resolved all at once or quickly, he said that Iran Air’s legal department and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have held extensive communications with relevant authorities and made significant efforts. However, he emphasized that resuming EU flights requires heavy diplomatic engagement and a different bureaucratic approach within the European Union—a process that is currently underway and will be pursued further.

Speaking about airplane ticket prices, he said: “I believe the real price of tickets is what it is now, and if even these rates are not observed, we will not have even the same number of aircraft that we currently have in the coming years.”

He emphasized: “Today we are facing the difficult conditions of sanctions, to the extent that we are not even given a single aircraft screw. In other words, if an aircraft encounters a problem in any country, no assistance is provided to us.”

The CEO of Homa then raised this question: when airlines incur their costs in dollars but earn their revenue in rials, why should their required foreign currency be transferred to the second exchange hall?

Abdolhayi stated: “I believe that even if we make costs realistic, the price of airplane tickets is still low.”

He said: “I believe the country needs at least 1,000 aircraft—500 to meet our domestic needs and the rest to become a regional hub.”

The CEO of the Islamic Republic of Iran Airline also said regarding ATR aircraft: “Thirteen of these aircraft entered the country. We could have flown them to cities along the Persian Gulf or even operated them on routes within the Persian Gulf region, but in practice they ended up serving all regions of the country.”

He added: “This issue gradually caused costs to be imposed on these aircraft, and now each of these aircraft has incurred costs of between three and four million dollars.”