IranAir reports 115% surge in international passenger numbers in July

Iran’s flag carrier IranAir has reported a 115% surge in the number of international passengers using the airline in the calendar month to July 22 as demand for air travel is recovering around the world amid accelerated vaccinations campaigns against the coronavirus.

IranAir spokesman Hossein Jahani said on Monday that the airline had processed 305 international flights for 36,516 passengers in the fourth calendar months this year.

Jahani said that international flights had accounted for 26% of IranAir’s productive flight hours over the period.

He said that total passenger numbers had also risen by 6% compared to the month to late June to 130,525 people processed through 2,389 flights.

However, the official said that 58% or nearly 130,000 seats offered in flights operated by IranAir in the month to late July had remained empty mainly because of government measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus through social distancing.

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Freight transport by the airline also rose by a third compared to the month to June to 1,853 metric tons, said Jahani.

The figures come as IranAir, known locally as Homa, is trying to recoup losses suffered since the start of the pandemic in early 2020 as better vaccination rates and easing pandemic restrictions in various countries have helped spur global demand for air travel.

The company has also faced problems to expand its network of international flights in recent years mainly because of sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran.

Reports over the past two years have suggested that major European airports have imposed restrictions on legal flights by Homa during the pandemic period.

Iranian government officials have condemned such "politically motivated" decisions by saying that they are meant to comply with US pressure campaign on Iran.

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