Following the confirmation of new cases of coronavirus in Iran, three countries, namely Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan, have launched measures to cancel flights to and from the country.
According to Maqsoud Asadi-Samani, secretary of the Association of Iranian Airlines, flights between Iran and Iraq are only operated for transporting Iraqi citizens and diplomats back to their home country.
“There are also a few flights operated to transport Iranians in Iraq to Iran,” he said, adding that henceforth no visa will be issued for Iranians until further notice, ILNA reported.
Kuwait also has taken similar measures and has cancelled all flights between the two countries. Its civil aviation authority has also decided to ban residents or those with entry permits who were in Iran in the past two weeks, adding that any Kuwaiti national arriving from Iran will be quarantined, Reuters reported.
Moreover, Kuwait’s port authority suspended the movement of people to and from Iran until further notice because of concerns about the coronavirus outbreak, state news agency KUNA said early on Friday.
“Afghanistan has also talked of cancelling flights between the two sides but has not yet announced any decision in official, written form,” Asadi-Samani said.
"The number of flight between Iran and Iraq is considerable, as three airlines, namely Mahan, IranAir and Ata operate flights to Iraq every week. The cancellation of flights will inflict a considerable loss on these airlines," he added.
Referring to Kuwait, the official said the number of flights between the two sides is fewer compared to Iraq, but all the sold tickets have been cancelled.
“The airlines concerned will be responsible to compensate for the cancelled tickets,” he added.
The number of people detected with the new Coronavirus in Iran has reached 28, according to the Health Ministry’s Media Center, with five having so far died of the disease that originated in central China.
The outbreak originated in China and has killed more than 2,100 people. New research suggesting the virus is more contagious than previously thought has added to the international alarm over the outbreak.
Meanwhile, Turkey has started to screen travelers arriving from Iran at border gates and is refusing entry to anyone with signs of illness, Hürriyet Daily News reported on Friday.
Mehran Border Closure 'Not Related to Coronavirus'
The Iran-Iraq border crossing at Mehran is currently closed for exports to Iraq, Director General of Ilam Customs Administration Rouhollah Gholami announced in a letter to Director General of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration's Export Affairs Division Ali Akbar Shamani on Feb. 19.
In the letter, Gholami requested IRICA to stop sending goods to Ilam customs, Fars News Agency reported.
Mehran is the capital city of an eponymous county in the western Ilam Province.
Yahya Al-e Es’haq, the head of Iran-Iraq Chamber of Commerce, says the closure of Mehran border crossing is not related to coronavirus outbreak, noting that the issue has to do with the appointment of a new head of Iraq Customs Administration, ILNA reported.
"The closure is temporary and officials are following up to resolve the issue," he concluded.
