Air France, British Airways halt flights to Iran over low profitability

Air France, British Airways halt flights to Iran over low profitability

Air France and British Airways on Thursday announced that they will halt flights to Tehran next month, citing low profitability as the US re-imposes sanctions on Iran.

Air France, which had run connections to the Iranian capital via its low-cost operator, Joon, said it would axe the route on September 18, blaming “poor commercial viability”.

The French carrier had already cut down on its Paris to Tehran connections from three a week to just one earlier this month, its communications service said.

British Airways had announced shortly earlier that it was axing its London to Tehran service as it was “currently not commercially viable”.

The last outbound flight to Tehran will be on September 22, and the last inbound flight from Tehran will be on September 23, the British flag-carrier added.

British Airways said its decision was unrelated to US President, Donald Trump’s imposition of new sanctions on Iran, which has affected foreign businesses operating in the country, with many pulling out altogether.

Dutch carrier, KLM, said last month that it was also suspending Tehran flights due to “negative results and financial outlook”.

The airline said it was in discussions with partner airlines to offer customers re-booking options, or would offer full refunds.

Agency Report