Air France Aircraft Lands in Tehran After 8 Years

An Air France aircraft landed at Imam Khomeini Airport in Tehran on Sunday, April 29. Air France had suspended its flights to Tehran eight years ago. The Associated Press reports that the resumption of foreign flights to Iran follows the implementation of the nuclear agreement. Iran and six world powers implemented the nuclear deal on January 16, which led to the lifting of nuclear sanctions against Iran. The report adds that the landing of the Air France aircraft in Tehran is a tangible sign of the lifting of sanctions, although Iranians still complain that the nuclear agreement has not yielded visible results. In this context, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting has also reported that 'after the suspension of this airline's flights in 2008, this is the first time an Air France A330 aircraft has entered Iran.' According to this report, the French Minister of Transport, the CEO of Air France, and the CEO of Boeing are special passengers on this flight. Currently, the German airline Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines operate several flights to Tehran each week. On Saturday, Iranian news agencies reported, citing Jafarzadeh, the public relations manager of the Civil Aviation Organization, that Air France will have four flights to Tehran each week. The resumption of this French airline's flights to Tehran comes amid recent controversy regarding Air France's directive on the necessity of hijab for female flight attendants on flights to Tehran. French media have reported that according to a new directive from Air France, female flight attendants are required to wear a headscarf and cover their hair when leaving the aircraft in Tehran. This directive also requests that female crew members wear loose-fitting trousers and jackets during the flight. After protests from female crew members, Air France management ultimately announced that the presence of female flight attendants on flights to Tehran is optional, and those who do not wish to fly to Tehran can replace their flight duty with another flight.