A Sunday report by the official IRNA news agency said Iran Airlines will recover flights to destinations in Malaysia, Thailand and China from August and September, replacing flights to major European and British cities that were suspended due to EU and UK sanctions at the end of last year.
The report said it relies on an expanded jet fleet, including two recently purchased widebody planes by Iran Airlines and three jets that have become airworthy again thanks to a homemade repair program.
The airline currently has 17 operational jets with over 3,000 active passenger seats and one cargo plane.
Iran Airlines claimed that it had cancelled all flights to European destinations on October 15, the day after the EU announced sanctions against the airline and two domestic associates, and was involved in Iran’s alleged supply of drones and missiles to Russia.
Cancellations of flights to Europe are compensated by an increase in the activity of other Iranian Airlines on European routes and an increase in the number of flights to regional airports by Iranian Airlines to promote connections to Europe.
That’s because airlines are subject to a series of US sanctions that restrict access to aviation parts and repair services.
However, Iran Air has expanded its route network in recent years by increasingly relying on domestic suppliers.
According to an IRNA report, the national airline conducted more than 10,000 flights between August and March, relocating more than 1.23 million passengers and 4,500 tonnes of cargo between its domestic and international destinations.
MNA/presstv