Nearly 45% of Iranian passenger aircraft have been grounded and the number of airplanes in service has fallen to less than 150 in the past few years due to restrictions on the aviation industry (sanctions by the West on Iran’s nuclear program). Consequently, many airlines have failed to deliver quality services, or restore and improve aircrafts; many in fact are struggling to stay afloat.
Flying saves time, a major advantage why travelers choose air services over other modes of transport. But recently the case has not been so, and most national airlines are found wanting, struggling to keep their schedules, Forsat Emrooz reported.
Sometimes two or three-day long delays for a two-hour flight by the various airlines flying to different provinces have generated great dissatisfaction among passengers who expect premium services from the high-end industry. In addition, several hours of flight on numerous routes leaves insufficient time for maintenance or restoration of the overused aircrafts, resulting in inefficiency of passenger aircraft. It also leaves a question mark on their safety.
Unscheduled and protracted delays have harmed the reputation of many airline companies, including those flying on international routes.
Frequent objections by passengers to the delays have fallen on deaf ears in the airline companies, and Iran Aviation Organization – the government representative in the industry – has repeatedly postponed fulfilling its promise to finalize and stipulate a bylaw for flight delay compensation.
Compensation
Former head of the Iranian Aviation Organization Alireza Manzari believes the existing regulatory mechanisms must be optimally exploited to control and reduce delays given that operating airliners are insufficient and the much-needed facilities for improving the status quo are lacking.
Sometime ago Minister of Roads and Urban Development Abbas Ahmad Akhoundi issued a directive to prohibit flights during night time from Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport (domestic) “to grant peaceful night’s sleep to the people in the neighborhood.”
Nonetheless, the recurrent flight delays postponed implementation of the directive as charter flights kept flying passengers, and airlines continued evading payment of compensation for delays.
The imbalance between demand and supply of aircrafts due to the sanctions cannot be expected to go away until a proper regulatory system is in place.
Although the role of sanctions on the aviation industry cannot be overlooked, the services can surely improve with regulations that mutually benefit both flyers and airline companies.
