Three Iranian airlines have been sanctioned by the European Union on Monday, banning them from European airspace after Brussels accused them of aiding in the transfer of weapons to Russia. The bloc has also imposed a travel ban and an asset freeze.
Iran’s major airlines are sanctioned
State-owned Iran Air
and Saha Airlines, as well as privately owned Mahan Air
, are the three airlines involved in the sanctions. They have been picked out because they transferred Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Russia in “support of its war of aggression against Ukraine.”
Photo: Vytautas Kielaitis | Shutterstock
The EU says that this follows a statement it had issued in September in which it condemned the transfer of Iranian-made ballistic missiles to Russia. It said that this was a “direct threat to European security and as a substantive material escalation from the provision of Iranian UAVs and ammunition, which Russia had used in its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.” For all three airlines, the EU wrote the following about its decision:
“It [the carrier] has been used repeatedly to transfer Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and related technologies to Russia, which have been used in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.”
Brussels adds the following in its statement, clarifying the nature of these sanctions.
Therefore, it is appropriate to designate three Iranian airlines which have repeatedly transferred to Russia Iranian-made UAVs and related technologies, which have been used in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Those designations are targeted and seek to deter specific Iranian policies and activities. The Union does not intend to impede air traffic or people-to-people contacts between the Union and Iran in general.
Iran Air in Europe
Iran Air is the only of the three carriers that actually offers services to the EU.
The airline is government-owned. The Iranian Ministry of Infrastructure controls it, and “therefore [the carrier is] subordinate to the country’s military-political leadership.”
According to ch-aviation data, it flies a fleet of 37 planes, of which 26 are listed as inactive. Aircraft types range from the more modern Airbus A330 (two examples arein service), A320 family jets, and ATR 72-600s to the older Airbus A300 and A310 variants. The airline’s two Airbus A330s were delivered as part of a wider order with Airbus that was later removed as a result of sanctions.
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Europe-Iran is a big market.
Its destinations in Europe are listed as follows:
- London Heathrow (LHR)
- Milan Malpensa (MXP)
- Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG)
- Hamburg (HAM)
- Frankfurt (FRA)
- Cologne (CGN)
- Vienna (VIE)
- Rome (FCO)
Image: GCMap
The EU also identified seven individuals which it added to its sanctions list. This includes the Deputy Defence Minister of Iran, Seyed Hamzeh Ghalandari. Brussels’ statement said the following:
Those targeted will be subject to an asset freeze and travel ban to the European Union. Additionally, the provision of funds or economic resources, directly or indirectly, to or for the benefit of natural or legal persons, entities or bodies listed is prohibited.
Saha Airlines and Mahan Air
Photo: Soos Jozsef | Shutterstock
Neither of the two airlines operate to Europe. Saha Airlines operates domestic flights according to Flightradar24. Mahan Air meanwhile has a much larger fleet, operating to international and domestic destinations.
According to ch-aviation, Saha Airlines has a fleet of four planes, including three Boeing 737-300s and one Boeing 747-200F. Mahan Air has 39 planes of which 24 are listed as inactive. This includes planes like the A340 and Airbus A320, as well as the A300 and A310 similarly to Iran Air.