US sanctions leave Iranians facing flight cancellations and soaring costs

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that a new round of US sanctions on Iranian airlines and foreign service providers has sharply reduced Iran’s international flight options, leaving many travellers facing cancellations, diversions and much higher costs. The article says the restrictions took effect after a September 23 deadline for companies to stop servicing Iranian carriers, and that direct flights between Iran and several destinations, including the United Arab Emirates, were suspended.

The disruption has been especially visible on routes such as Tehran-Dubai, which Al Jazeera says recently shifted from a trip of under three hours costing about $100 to $200 to journeys that can take up to 18 hours and cost more than $1,000. Other affected links included flights to Muscat, Baghdad, Turkiye and some routes tied to pilgrimage and regional travel. Some services to Moscow, Najaf, Istanbul, Yerevan and Guangzhou were still operating, but the network remained heavily restricted.

Travellers and industry figures quoted by Al Jazeera described delays and logistical problems for people trying to reach Iran for medical, work or family reasons, as well as revenue losses for ticketing and airline businesses. The report also notes that international air links to Iran were already under strain after earlier conflict-related disruption, and that restoring suspended routes will likely require negotiations with other governments.