Iran's Airport Traffic Down 70%

Iran Airports Company registered a total of 9,249 takeoffs and landings during the first month of the current Iranian year (March 20-April 19) to register a 70% decline compared with the similar period of last year.

A total of 752,767 passengers were transported during the month under review, indicating an 80% year-on-year decline. 

Over 9,080 tons of cargos were handled during the same period, which shows a 79% decrease compared with the corresponding period of last year, according to IAC's latest report published on its website.

A total of 8,855 takeoffs and landings were registered by domestic flights during the one-month period, down 64% YOY. More than 728,860 passengers and 6,213 tons of cargo were transported domestically, indicating a 75% and 76% fall respectively YOY.

On the international front, 394 takeoffs and landings were registered, down by 93% YOY. A total of 23,907 passengers and more than 2,867 tons of cargo were transported to and from overseas destinations, down 97% and 84% respectively compared with the corresponding period of last year.

Similar to previous IAC reports, Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport was the busiest Iranian airport during the period under review with 3,573 takeoffs and landings, registering a 46% decline.

The airport handled 302,431 passengers and around 2,480 tons of cargo, both indicating a 52% YOY decrease.

Mashhad International Airport was the second busiest airport with 857 takeoffs and landings, indicating a 59% YOY decrease. It transported 90,521 passengers and 779 tons of cargos, down 63% and 68% respectively YOY.

Ahvaz International Airport registered 795 takeoffs and landings (a 29% YOY decrease), while transporting more than 68,809 passengers (a 35% decline) and over 591 tons of cargos showing a 35% decrease YOY. Ahvaz Int’l Airport ranked third on the list of Iran’s busiest airports during the one-month period.

Iran Airports Company is affiliated to the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, which manages 54 airports across the country.

Refunding Cancelled Tickets 

Domestic and foreign airlines have provided passengers refunds worth more than 8,000 billion rials ($48 million) for cancelled flights since the outbreak of coronavirus, the spokesperson of Iran Civil Aviation Organization, Reza Jafarzadeh, said recently. 

“According to the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Ministry, 95% of passengers whose flights have been cancelled received compensation,” he was quoted as saying by IRIB News. 

CAO spokesman’s comments come as Hormatollah Rafiei, the head of Travel Agents Guild Association, said Iranian and foreign airlines have refused to return as much as 4,000 billion rials ($24 million) worth of people’s cancelled tickets. 

Last month, he issued a warning to airlines about their failure to follow the refund rules and that his association is mulling legal action against them, the Persian-language daily Etemad reported. 

Many foreign airlines have been offering vouchers and credits for future travel, which customers often must use before the end of the year, instead of honoring their obligation to give refunds, said the secretary of the Association of Iranian Airlines, Maqsoud Asadi-Samani. 

“However, I am confident that almost all Iranian airlines have provided refunds to passengers for flights cancelled due to the pandemic. For example, one of the major domestic airlines has repaid 400 billion rials [$2.4 million] to passengers,” he said.  

Substantial Losses

Iranian airlines are estimated to have sustained 30,000 billion rials ($180 million) in losses by April 3, as coronavirus has halted domestic and foreign flights, Asadi-Samani had said. 

The number of air passengers reduced by 76% and flights by 90% during the Iranian New Year holidays, he was quoted as saying by Fars News Agency. 

“IAC revenues have declined by 80% following the suspension of domestic and international flights,” Hamidreza Seyyedi, another official with the company, said. 

“The company sustained losses to the tune of 2,000 billion rials [$12 million] in the 12th month of the last fiscal year.”

The spokesperson of Iran Civil Aviation Organization says airplanes and airports are being disinfected regularly in order to counter the spread of coronavirus.

By the end of May 2020, most airlines in the world will be bankrupt, says CAPA—a trusted source of market intelligence for the aviation and travel industry. Adding that coordinated government and industry action is needed, if catastrophe is to be avoided. 

British Airways CEO Alex Cruz says that today’s coronavirus crisis is more serious than any previous aviation crisis.

As the impact of the coronavirus and multiple government travel reactions sweep through our world, many airlines have probably already been driven into technical bankruptcy, or are at least substantially in breach of debt covenants.

Cash reserves are running down quickly, as fleets are grounded and what flights there are operate much less than half full.

Forward bookings are far outweighed by cancellations and each time there is a new government recommendation, it is to discourage flying. Demand is drying up in ways that are completely unprecedented. Normality is not yet on the horizon, Aviation24 reported.

Flights to Amsterdam Resume

Iran’s flag carrier, IranAir, will resume flights to the capital of the Netherlands after a two-month hiatus. 

Taking all health protocols into account, the flight will be operated every Thursday from Imam Khomeini International Airport to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and vice versa, the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development's news service reported.

As per schedule, the flight leaves at 8:45 a.m. local time every week on Thursdays from IKIA and lands in Amsterdam at 12 p.m. local time. 

The return flight will be operated on the same day, leaving Amsterdam at 2 p.m. local time and landing in IKIA at 9:55 p.m. local time.

Future information can be obtained by contacting +982146621888 and tickets can be purchased in official IranAir offices in Tehran and Amsterdam.