Mahan Air Cancels Erbil, Sulaimani Flights Amid Service Restrictions
Sarsang Mamundi, Mahan Air’s manager in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, said the airline had been scheduled to operate a Tehran-Erbil flight and an Erbil-Tehran return flight on Friday, but was informed Thursday night that the services had not been authorized.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Iran’s Mahan Air canceled its scheduled flights to Erbil and Sulaimani on Friday after the airline was informed that the flights had not been authorized, the airline’s manager in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region told Kurdistan24.
Sarsang Mamundi, Mahan Air’s manager in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, said the airline had been scheduled to operate a Tehran-Erbil flight and an Erbil-Tehran return flight on Friday, but was informed Thursday night that the services had not been authorized.
“Our airline’s flight to Sulaimani was also canceled today,” Mamundi said in an exclusive interview with Kurdistan24.
He said the airports themselves had no objection to Mahan Air’s flights, but ground-handling companies were not providing services.
“The airports themselves have no problem with our flights, but Dnata and several other companies are not providing their services at the airports,” Mamundi said.
Mahan Air normally operates three round-trip services to the Kurdistan Region each week. Flights between Erbil and Tehran are scheduled on Tuesdays and Fridays, while an additional Friday service connects Sulaimani with Tehran.
The cancellations come amid growing restrictions on Iranian airlines following new US sanctions targeting Iran’s aviation sector. The United States announced sanctions earlier this month against 36 entities linked to Iran’s aviation industry, including 27 airlines.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that Iranian airlines would be “shut down around the world” from September 23 and warned that companies providing services such as fuel, landing assistance or ticket sales to Iranian carriers could face consequences under US sanctions.
The impact has already extended to Iraq. Iranian aviation authorities announced this week that flights to Baghdad would be canceled and said they were seeking to redirect Baghdad-bound services to Najaf.
Najaf International Airport subsequently issued an urgent notice stating that, based on instructions from the relevant authorities, all inbound and outbound flights between Najaf and Iran would be suspended from 2:00 a.m. on Friday, until further notice. The notice did not identify the authority behind the decision or provide a reason.
The latest restrictions follow concerns among ground-handling and other aviation service companies about potential exposure to US sanctions. Earlier reports indicated that private handling companies in Iraq had declined to provide services to Iranian carriers, while Iraqi airports themselves were not necessarily blocking the flights.