US Sanctions Cripple Iran’s Air Travel, Raising Fares and Delaying Flights

A fresh round of US sanctions aimed at Iranian carriers and the foreign firms that support them has effectively ended direct flights between Iran and the United Arab Emirates and several other destinations. Within weeks, a Tehran-Dubai trip that previously took under three hours and cost $100-$200 now requires up to 18 hours and more than $1,000. The sanctions, announced under Operation Economic Outcast, also triggered a mid-flight turn-back to Tehran and prompted the UAE, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkmenistan and others to suspend services for Iranian planes.

Iranian travelers such as Amir, whose ill mother needs medical care, now face long layovers in Istanbul, while online travel platform founder Majid Hosseini-Nejad says about 20 % of international flights from Iran have been cancelled, hurting airline revenues. Iran’s Foreign Ministry says it is working to restore routes, but delays, last-minute cancellations and diversions persist. The broader context includes ongoing US-Israeli pressure on Iran that has already disrupted many of its international links.