US sanctions leave Iranians facing flight cancellations and soaring costs

In late September, travellers could still fly directly from Tehran to Dubai in less than three hours, with a ticket costing between $100 and $200.

Less than a month later, it can take up to 18 hours to make the same journey and cost more than $1,000.

The change is the result of a new round of United States sanctions targeting Iranian airlines and foreign companies providing them with services. The restrictions intensified after a September 23 deadline for companies to stop servicing Iranian carriers, leading to the suspension of direct flights between Iran and the United Arab Emirates, as well as a number of other countries.

The United States has sought to block routes into and out of Iran and, more broadly, restrict access to the country. In August, the US announced Operation Economic Outcast as a means of increasing pressure on Iran, targeting the few remaining sectors of the Iranian economy still connected to the global economy.

As part of the campaign, the US sanctioned 27 airlines operating in Iran. Airports, fuel suppliers, ground-handling service providers and other foreign companies working with Iranian airlines were threatened with secondary sanctions, potentially cutting them off from the US financial system.

The first sign of the impact of the new sanctions came on September 24, when an Iranian flight travelling from Tehran to Dushanbe was forced to turn back mid-journey and return to Tehran after it was denied permission to enter Turkmenistan’s airspace.

The UAE, Azerbaijan, and Georgia also suspended services for Iranian flights. Flights between Iran and Muscat and Baghdad were halted, while a number of flights from Iran to neighbouring Turkiye were cancelled. Flights from Iran to the popular Shia pilgrimage destination of Najaf in Iraq were also briefly disrupted in late September.

All this was happening against the backdrop of the US-Israeli war on Iran, which had already caused widespread disruption to the country’s international air links. The vast majority of international airlines have yet to resume their services to Iran.

Flights to countries including China and Russia have continued despite the latest US measures, but restoring suspended routes will require negotiations with other governments.

Mass disruption

More than three weeks after the new aviation sanctions came into effect, routes to destinations including Moscow, Najaf, Istanbul, Yerevan and Guangzhou in China have continued operating. But Iran’s international flight network remains severely restricted.

The situation has created major disruption for both people travelling to Iran and those leaving the country.

Amir, 43, who lives in the US state of Illinois, described the challenges his ailing mother faced in attempting to travel to Iran.

“My mother lives in the United States, but her medical records are in Iran,” he said. “For months, her medical appointments have been delayed because of the war and the conditions it has created.

“A few weeks ago, we decided to take advantage of the relative calm and make a trip to Iran so she could receive medical care. But then the new sanctions were announced, effectively disrupting flights to Iran.

“Now, to get to Iran, we have to fly to Istanbul and wait there for several hours or even several days, depending on when a flight to Iran is available,” Amir said, adding that it was also difficult to purchase Iranian airline tickets from outside the country as a result of international sanctions.

“Making such a journey is extremely stressful for a woman travelling alone who is also ill. It is completely unfair.”

The sanctions have also had a significant impact on Iran’s domestic travel.

Majid Hosseini-Nejad, the founder of Alibaba Travel Group, one of the country’s largest online platforms for booking travel tickets and accommodation, told Al Jazeera that the new sanctions had affected ticket sales.

“As a result of the recent sanctions, around 20 percent of the flights operating from Iran to international destinations have been suspended,” Hosseini-Nejad said. “This has reduced revenues for airline ticket-booking services. Airlines’ revenues have also fallen significantly because of the sanctions.”

On October 11, Iran’s Foreign Ministry announced that its Department of Economic Affairs was continuing efforts to facilitate Iranian flights to destinations in other countries.

Flights to and from Iran continue to face lengthy delays, last-minute cancellations and, in some cases, even diversions back to their point of departure.

For now, Iranian travellers have little clarity about when the situation might change.

Another traveller named Amir, an Iranian national who flies regularly between Iran and Oman for work, said, “Beyond the other financial losses caused by the sanctions, flight cancellations have added another layer of difficulty to our lives. Every trip between Muscat and Tehran now takes several times longer and costs several times more than before.

“It is unclear when the situation will change, or whether it will improve at all.”