Iran Airports Company registered 5,378 international takeoffs and landings during the Iranian month ending Oct. 22 to register a 27% decline in traffic compared with the similar period of last year.
A total of 723,317 passengers were transported to and from overseas destinations, posting a 33% decrease year-on-year.
The downturn may partly be attributed to the end of the summer season by the start of the period under review, though it also has to do with the fact that international airlines started to wind down their businesses in Iran after the United States announced in May that it had unilaterally decided to pull out of the nuclear deal Iran signed with world powers, including the US, in 2015.
The deal, formally known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, saw years of international economic sanctions against Iran lifted. In exchange, the Islamic Republic agreed to limit the scope of its nuclear program.
The IAC data also show the number of international flights crossing the Iranian airspace saw a 23% decline from Sept. 23-Oct. 22.
JCPOA opened the gates for international airlines to boost their presence in the Iranian market.
British Airways ended its five times weekly services to Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport in August to join Air France and KLM which had both previously announced their withdrawal on their respective routes from Paris and Amsterdam
"Forty-eight foreign airlines are currently operating flights to and from Iran," said Iran Civil Aviation Organization’s Spokesman Reza Jafarzadeh in May 2017, adding that 18 of these companies had resumed operations with Iran over the past two years.
He commented that restoration of Iran’s relations with other countries after the conclusion of JCPOA paved the way for Iran’s reconnection to major world destinations.
“Iran’s geostrategic location and ever-increasing market demand has always been a fertile ground for the establishment of new flights.”
KLM resumed flights between Amsterdam and Tehran in October 2016, after a three-year hiatus. The resumption, part of a planned Air France-KLM comeback, includes four return flights from the Dutch capital per week.
Paris-Tehran flights also were resumed by Air France earlier than the previously scheduled date in January 2016.
British Airways resumed direct flights to and from the Iranian capital on September 1, 2016, after four years.
Lufthansa restarted to fly non-stop between Munich and Tehran as of July, expanding its daily offer with a Boeing B747-400 from Frankfurt after the removal of sanctions.
Yet, the withdrawal of US from JCPOA, criticized by the international community, threw a spanner in the works of Iran's burgeoning aviation sector after Washington imposed "harshest ever" sanctions against the Islamic Republic. The airlines that resumed their services following the nuclear deal now began to pull out.
British Airways ended its five times weekly services to Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport in August to join Air France and KLM, both of which had announced their withdrawal from their respective routes from Paris and Amsterdam.
19% Decline in Domestic Flights
The Iran Airport Company data also show 26,721 takeoffs and landings were registered for domestic flights during the period, down 19% year-on-year.
Some 3.02 million passengers were transported domestically, indicating a 24% decline YOY, the news portal of the Ministry of Roads and urban Development reported.
On the whole, Iran Airports Company registered 32,099 takeoffs and landings during the one-month period, which shows a 21% fall compared with the similar period of last year.
More than 3.74 million passengers and 36,258 tons of cargos were transported during the period, indicating a 26% and 27% decline respectively YOY.
Secretary of Iran Flight Services Guild Association Morteza Qorbani said recently that the number of Iranian citizens' outbound air travels to their most popular destinations has at least halved in recent months due to skyrocketing prices caused by a freefalling national currency.
"Istanbul, Tbilisi, Kuala Lumpur and Dubai are the most travelled flight routes for Iranians and the number of those flights has presently halved," he was quoted as saying by ISNA.
According to Qorbani, some flights to other cities in Georgia and Turkey have witnessed steeper declines in demand, reaching as high as 60%.
He conceded that a portion of the decline may be due to seasonal stagnancy, but maintained that the most important factor has been the hefty cost of travel.
The main reason behind the decline, though, must be sought in an ongoing currency crisis caused by reimposition of US sanctions.
Iran's rial has lost approximately two-thirds of its value against the US dollar in 2018, meaning that outbound travel is now much costlier for Iranians.
Outbound as well as local flights have become significantly more expensive in recent months. Although airfares are expected to become slightly more affordable as the rial is finding a degree of stability on the back of recent market intervention by the central bank, they are still way more expensive than last year.
Mehrabad the Busiest Airport
The Iran Airports Company data show Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport was the busiest Iranian airport during the month to Oct. 22, with 9,561 takeoffs and landings, showing an 18% decrease compared with the similar period of last year.
Mehrabad accounted for 29.8% of all the takeoffs and landings in Iranian airports during the period.
More than 1.09 million passengers were transported at this airport, indicating a 22% decline YOY.
Mashhad International Airport was the second busiest airport with 4,630 flights carrying 676,472 passengers.
Imam Khomeini International Airport came third with 3,669 takeoffs and landings that transported 517,464 passengers.
The Mashhad airport and IKIA accounted for 14.4% and 11.4% of all the takeoffs and landings during the period respectively.
Kerman Airport, with an average of 154 passengers on each flight, and Hamedan Airport with 11 had the highest and lowest passenger density respectively.
Iran Airports Company is affiliated to the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, which manages 54 airports across the country.
IKIA has the biggest share of international flights and Mehrabad the biggest of domestic ones.
