Private airline rejects reports it is tied to Iran Air after French ban
A private Iranian airline that was banned by French authorities from launching a maiden flight to Paris earlier this week has said it has no links to Iran Air, the company that is under sanctions by the European Union.
Iran Airtour said in a statement on Saturday that it is a completely private airline and its operations are independent of the Iranian government.
The statement came two days after France’s civil aviation authority (DGAC) cancelled a first flight by Iran Airtour from Tehran to Paris planned for January 31.
The flight could have been the first direct flight from Iran to Europe since mid-October when the EU and Britain announced sanctions on Iran’s aviation sector, including bans on flights by Iran Air, Saha Airlines, and Mahan Air.
Iran Airtour criticized the DGAC for cancelling the flight based on what it called inaccurate information from rival airlines suggesting that the company is still partly owned by Iran Air.
It said the DGAC has failed to provide any justification why it has cancelled a flight that had been coordinated weeks ago.
“This company will do its utmost to clarify potential ambiguities and to have this flight restored,” said the statement.
Passengers have been using connection flights via Turkey and Persian Gulf countries to travel between Iran and Europe in the past three months.
Authorities in Tehran have dismissed EU’s reasons for imposing sanctions on Iranian airlines, including their alleged involvement in the supply of weapons to Russia, saying the bans have only affected Iranians living and working in Europe or those seeking medical treatment in European countries.
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