BA pulls out of Tehran

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  • travelworld2
    Participant

    …my flights at the end of October have been cancelled as a result and I now go on Qatar via Doha. As mine was an Avios booking I’m not exactly complaining, but it’s a little surprising that the route has been dropped so quickly- presumably as a commercial effect of the US refusing to honour the nuclear deal.


    AMcWhirter
    Participant

    travelworld2 – Thanks for the update. BA did say it would be cutting the number of flights to Tehran early in 2019. But it would now appear the route is being axed earlier than expected.

    As mentioned in Forum both AF (Joon) and KL are ending Tehran services.

    KLM to suspend flights to Tehran


    capetonianm
    Participant

    I would imagine this is political as the last time loads are not bad, although quite variable, some dates overbooked and others with up to 100 unsold on the BA 777s.

    AF/Joon’s weekly flight is showing about 70% loads on average and KLM about the same, I checked a few dates at random over the next few weeks.

    I’ve flown to/from THR 3 times in the last 5 years and flights were full. Not necessarily proof of good revenue, admittedly.


    AMcWhirter
    Participant

    News breaking that BA will end Tehran flights on September 23 … the same day KLM will also stop Tehran service.


    AMcWhirter
    Participant

    capetonianm
    Participant

    Source : BBC

    British Airways and Air France have announced that they will stop flying to Iran next month.

    Both airlines said that the route was “not commercially viable.”

    The reintroduction of US sanctions has caused a slump in the value of the Iranian currency, the rial, making it harder for Iranians to travel overseas.

    BA restarted the service to Tehran two years ago after a four-year gap. The last flight will be on 22 September, returning the next day.

    The airline apologised to travellers planning to travel to Iran and said it was offering refunds for affected customers or a possible rerouting through other airlines.

    Air France, which had transferred its connections with Tehran to its low-cost airline Joon, had reduced the frequency of the flights from three to one a week since the beginning of this month. It will stop all flights on 18 September.

    KLM said last month that it would also suspend flights from Amsterdam to Iran from September.

    The sanctions, prompted partly by Washington’s decision in May to abandon the Iran nuclear deal, have prompted many western firms to step back from business in Iran.

    Companies such as the French energy giant Total, German insurer Allianz and Danish tanker operator Maersk have said they are preparing to wind down their operations in Iran.


    AMcWhirter
    Participant

    What about Austrian / Lufthansa you might ask ?

    A short time ago Lufthansa issued this statement: “We are closely monitoring the developments. At this point in time, it is not possible to make a final estimate of any prospective effects on the booking situation.”

    “For the time being Lufthansa will continue to fly to Tehran as scheduled and no changes are envisaged.”

    Austrian (also owned by Lufthansa) continues to serve Tehran. But it will drop services to Isfahan/Shiraz next month (this was announced last month).


    canucklad
    Participant

    Cynical me would jump to the conclusion that BA is doffing their cap to Trump , especially considering how many of its eggs it now has in the US basket

    But I suppose the loss of Iranian traffic would be damaging ….
    I recall my Iranian driver in London, mentioning that most expat Iranians chose to fly BA because it was their last chance to enjoy alcohol before landing in Tehran. And their first chance to have a dram after take-off from Tehran.

    Sure he said that BA had to shut the bar just prior to entering Iranian airspace !!


    AMcWhirter
    Participant

    [quote quote=884726]Sure he said that BA had to shut the bar just prior to entering Iranian airspace !![/quote]

    It’s the same with foreign airlines destined for Saudi Arabia… they also stop serving drinks before entering Saudi airspace.

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