Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 7
By Elnur Baghishov - Trend:
Although the embargo on fueling Iranian planes in Turkey won’t create problems for some flights, some planes may not carry out direct flights between Iran and Turkey, Houshang Seddigh, former CEO at Iran’s Zagros Airlines, Iranian expert in air transport and industry, said in an interview with ISNA.
He said that in any case, it is necessary to wait for the final outcome of sanctions on the filling the Iranian planes with fuel in Turkey.
"But if this process continues, the Iranian planes will be divided into two groups. The first group will include planes that can fly from Tehran to Istanbul without fueling, and the second group will include planes that don’t have this opportunity," he added.
He noted that such planes as Airbus 300 and Airbus 600 will be able to fly on Iran-Turkey-Iran route without fueling, and there will be no problems with their arrival and departure. However, such planes as Airbus 320 or Boeing MD won’t be able to return to many cities in Iran without refueling, he said.
He added that the only option available for these planes is to return to one of the cities close to Turkey such as Tabriz and Urmia. These planes can land in one of these cities, refuel and continue their flight to other cities like Tehran, he said.
Besides, every take-off and landing, depending on the type of a plane, costs $500-$1,000, in other words, Iranian companies will be required to pay additional costs, he added.
This expense must be paid by an airline company or passengers, he said.
“Thus, the ticket price will increase, and at the same time, duration of a flight will also increase,” he noted. “That’s because the time for take-off and landing for refueling takes 30 minutes or 1 hour.”