Iran Air Announces Lifting of Fuel Supply Restrictions at European Airports

The public relations office of Iran Air has announced that following the airports in Paris, Cologne, Amsterdam, and London, Frankfurt Airport has also lifted restrictions on fuel supply to the passenger planes of this company starting from Saturday, January 23. In a statement published on Iran Air's website, it was mentioned that with the implementation of the nuclear agreement (JCPOA) and the lifting of fuel supply restrictions to Iranian aircraft since January 18 of this year, the company's Frankfurt flight landed at Imam Khomeini Airport in Tehran after receiving the required amount of fuel at the departure airport. According to the report, this flight previously faced a delay of one and a half hours to receive the necessary fuel at a third airport. Following the approval of the fourth UN Security Council resolution imposing sanctions against Iran in 2010 and subsequent additional sanctions by the United States and the European Union, several European countries refrained from supplying fuel to Iranian passenger aircraft. After that, numerous reports emerged regarding the refusal to provide fuel to Iranian aircraft at international airports. Initially, in July 2010, reports about the cessation of fuel supply to Iranian aircraft at airports in Britain, Germany, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates were published, a matter that faced long-term denial and confirmation by Iranian officials. At that time, the Financial Times reported that airports stated that fuel supply companies were unwilling to deliver fuel to Iran due to US sanctions. In October of that year, Iran confirmed that Europeans were not willing to supply fuel to Iranian aircraft and, in April 2011, in a reciprocal action, halted fuel supply operations to European aircraft. Last July, the then-head of Iran's aviation organization stated that fuel supply restrictions existed at nine European points, including Germany, the UK, and France, and criticized these countries for not implementing the Chicago Convention regarding equal rights for airline operations. Unprecedented international sanctions against Iran were imposed due to the controversial nuclear program of the Islamic Republic. After the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that Tehran had significantly reduced the volume and scope of its nuclear program based on an agreement with six world powers in Vienna, sanctions related to the nuclear program were also lifted. In this context, some European airports still do not provide fuel to Iran. The losses of Iran Air's aviation sector include the refusal of oil companies to provide fuel to Iranian aircraft in Geneva, the reduction of European flights to Iran following the fuel supply ban, and the limitations faced by Iranian aircraft in three countries for fuel supply. Iran confirmed the refusal of companies to supply fuel to its aircraft. The CEO of Iran Air stated that there are no problems with fueling the aircraft. British Petroleum no longer supplies fuel to Iranian aircraft. Two Iranian aircraft left Hamburg Airport without refueling. Reactions to the claim of 'refusal to deliver fuel to Iranian aircraft' continue.