Iran Air Flights to European Destinations Canceled

The spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Organization announced the cancellation of flights by Iran Air (Homa) to European destinations. Jafar Yazarlu stated on Tuesday, October 16, that following the sanctions imposed on Iran Air, Mahan Air, and Saha by the European Union, Homa canceled its flights to European destinations to avoid the consequences of not being granted landing permissions at airports and the resulting confusion for passengers. On Tuesday, the Iran Air flight information center in Tehran responded to phone inquiries about the fate of European flights, stating: "All European flights today have been canceled. No announcements have been made for future days, and we have not received any telegrams. For routes like Paris, a time frame has been announced for the cancellation of their flights. However, nothing has been announced for other routes yet." Iran Air's unofficial recommendation to its passengers under the current circumstances is not to cancel their tickets, as "if they wait for the cancellation of flights to be processed in the system, they will not incur a penalty and will receive a full refund." The European Union agreed on Monday to sanction seven individuals and seven organizations, including Iran Air, for their alleged involvement in the transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia. The UK, which is no longer part of the EU, also imposed new sanctions against Iran. Before the announcement of Iran Air's flight cancellations, an official from the Iranian Airlines Association had told ILNA that Iran Air is currently the only Iranian airline flying to Europe. Saha Airlines, Mahan Air, and Hamzeh Ghalandari, the Iranian Deputy Minister of Defense, are among those recently sanctioned. An Iranian citizen residing in France, who wished to remain anonymous, told Radio Farda that while he was supposed to fly from Paris to Tehran on Tuesday morning, the night before the flight, an Iran Air official contacted him, apologized, and simply stated that the flight was canceled with no further information. This Iranian citizen believes that if such an event is a result of EU sanctions, "the ordinary people are the ones who suffer the most. People whose ability to purchase goods and services from international markets is increasingly constrained as the value of the rial plummets day by day." With the removal of Iranian airlines from Europe, Iranian citizens are forced to choose from the remaining airlines in the market, including Turkish, Qatari, Lufthansa, or Emirates, whose status and service prices in Iran are now uncertain. On Tuesday, in response to the EU's new sanctions, the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the Hungarian ambassador, who currently holds the EU presidency. The political deputy of the Iranian Foreign Ministry described these sanctions as "illegal" and "unacceptable," asserting that its military cooperation with other countries is lawful and that no one has the right to interfere in it. The EU had previously condemned the transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia on September 14, 2023, warning at that time that it was prepared to respond quickly and in coordination with its international allies and to impose significant punitive measures against Iran. In a statement issued by the EU, the transfer of drones, missiles, technologies, and their related components to Russia and non-state armed groups in the Middle East and elsewhere was highlighted as a primary concern. It was also specified that Iran has used commercial airline routes for the transfer of these equipment and technologies. Based on this accusation, the EU announced that it would sanction three Iranian airlines that, according to the EU, have "repeatedly" transferred Iranian drones and technologies for use against Ukraine to Russia. Similar accusations, namely the use of passenger airline routes for military purposes, were raised by Mohammad Javad Zarif, the former foreign minister, in his famous leaked audio file in 2020. Zarif stated that after the JCPOA, when Iran began purchasing Boeing and Airbus aircraft and Iran Air was removed from the US terrorist list, under the pressure of Qassem Soleimani, "Homa airline's flights to Syria were added." This point, according to the former foreign minister, was done not only without his knowledge but also without the awareness of Abbas Akhoundi, the then Minister of Roads. The EU states that the new sanctions are aimed at countering the policies and activities of the Islamic Republic. In the same statement, it emphasized that the EU does not intend to hinder air transport, people-to-people contact, or the overall interaction between the EU and Iran.