International routes sharply limited as US sanctions leave Iranians facing flight cancellations and soaring costs

Sanctions reshape flight options

The US targeted 27 airlines operating in Iran and warned foreign businesses serving them that they could face secondary sanctions. Those affected could include airports, fuel providers and companies handling aircraft on the ground.

A September 23 deadline for companies to stop working with Iranian carriers was followed by suspensions of direct flights between Iran and the UAE and other countries. Services from Iran were also suspended by the UAE, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Flights to Muscat and Baghdad stopped, and some routes to Turkiye were cancelled.

In late September, a direct Tehran-to-Dubai trip took under three hours and cost between $100 and $200. The new restrictions have made journeys longer and more expensive.

Routes remain sharply restricted

Some connections have continued more than three weeks after the sanctions took effect. These include routes to Moscow, Najaf, Istanbul, Yerevan and Guangzhou in China. Flights to Najaf, a destination for Shia pilgrims, were briefly disrupted in late September. The vast majority of international airlines have not resumed service to Iran, while flights to and from the country can face long delays, sudden cancellations or diversions back to their starting point. The disruptions have unfolded amid the US-Israeli war on Iran, which had already severely affected international air links.

Travellers describe personal costs

Amir, a 43-year-old Illinois resident, said his ailing mother’s planned trip to Iran for medical care was affected by the sanctions. He said the travel was especially stressful because she was ill and travelling alone.

A separate traveller named Amir, an Iranian who regularly flies between Iran and Oman for work, said trips between Muscat and Tehran now take much longer and cost much more. He said cancellations have added to the financial strain of the sanctions.

Majid Hosseini-Nejad, founder of Alibaba Travel Group, told Al Jazeera that the measures had affected ticket sales. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on October 11 that its Department of Economic Affairs was working to facilitate flights to other countries.