Planes' Seating Capacity Set at 60%, Ticket Fares to Rise

Airlines will only be allowed to sell tickets for up to 60% of plane’s total seating capacity as of Oct. 22, Maqsoud Asadi-Samani, secretary of the Association of Iranian Airlines, said on Monday. 
As per the decision of National Coronavirus Headquarters on new measures to prevent the further transmission of Covid-19, all types of aircraft need to observe social distancing by operating at a fraction of their passenger capacity. 
In addition to the new measure, the rise in foreign currency exchange rates has increased airlines’ expenses and would leave them with no choice but to raise their fares, Fars News Agency reported. 
Noting that the Central Bank of Iran did not provide airlines with foreign currency from the so-called secondary FX market, known by its Persian name Nima, Asadi-Samani said, “Airlines had to meet their forex needs at free market rates to import aircraft spare parts last year.”