Lufthansa Expands Its Relations with Iran

Following the return of KLM to Iran, the German airline Lufthansa announced that in addition to increasing flights, it will also enhance its relations with Iranian airlines. Jens Bischof, the Executive Vice President of Lufthansa, stated that the company has a serious plan to strengthen its relationship with the Iranian aviation industry, saying: "In the past few years, we have increased our scheduled flights to 27 weekly flights, which shows that our relationship with Iran has never progressed this far, and this number could increase in the near future. Currently, our weekly flights are to Munich and Vienna in Europe and Tehran and Isfahan in Iran, and these flights have seen a renewed increase compared to previous years." The Executive Vice President of Lufthansa emphasized the company's plans for fleet renewal and modernization of its aircraft, stating: "Currently, Lufthansa has about 700 aircraft. Of this number, around 260 aircraft will be renovated and upgraded at a cost of 36 billion euros, with over 50 new aircraft models including Boeing 777, Airbus A320, and Bombardier being added to the fleet. Since the beginning of the calendar year, various discounts and programs have been considered, and on the other hand, efforts have been made to increase connection flights to North America and Canada, aiming to expand options for Iranians. The increase in the number of flights has been due to the demands present in the Iranian market. Our statistics show that over the past three years, tourist numbers have approximately tripled, and we predict that this figure will increase even more in the future." He added: "Our company has joint agreements with over 10 airlines from the USA to East Asia, and this will definitely impact market management. If certain necessary preconditions are met, there will be the possibility of direct communication and cooperation between Lufthansa and Iranian airlines. Given the modernization of Iranian airlines, we are seriously optimistic about these changes and will certainly welcome increased cooperation. We view the Iranian market as one of the largest and most important markets in the region and will plan to increase our presence in this market." Currently, Lufthansa is considered the largest European airline. This German company did not stop its flights to Iran during the years of sanctions, and after the sanctions were lifted, it increased its flights to 27 weekly flights. About two months ago, Isfahan also began operations as Lufthansa's second air destination in Iran. Besides this German company, other airlines are also returning or expanding their activities in Iran. After the nuclear agreement, most airlines that had ceased flights to Iran are now returning, with KLM, the world's oldest active airline, being the latest to return. Rene de Groot, the COO of KLM, said at a press conference in Tehran: "We are happy to be back in Tehran. This return was not an easy task and took a long process; we aim to be the best airline in Europe in customer satisfaction. Therefore, we have implemented changes over the past few months that have yielded positive results. This year, 14 new destinations have been added to KLM's flight routes, the latest of which is Tehran. We had flights to Tehran from 1948 until three years ago, for a total of 65 years." Gilles Rocher, the CEO for the Gulf region at KLM, also referred to the cooperation between KLM and Air France, stating: "There is a travel capacity of over 2,000 passengers per week through four KLM flights and three Air France flights from Tehran to Europe." Following negotiations, the entry of companies such as Air France, British Airways, Austrian Airlines, AirAsia, and Thai Airways into Iranian airspace has resumed, to the extent that Imam Airport has officially announced that it is currently hosting 57 different domestic and foreign airlines. Other companies are also expected to return to Iranian airspace soon. One of these companies is Air India. The state-owned Air India, which had canceled its flights to Iran for the past two decades, will resume operations. These flights will operate twice a week from Delhi to Tehran and are set to begin in April of next year. It is estimated that Iranians spend over three billion dollars annually on purchasing tickets from foreign airlines. In this context, Boeing: The contract with Iran has progressed, but no aircraft will be delivered this year. The Canadian aircraft manufacturer is seeking to make up for delays in Iran. The possibility of technology transfer from Airbus and Boeing to Iran. The return of the world's oldest airline to Iran.