Aviation

"A few days after Donald Trump’s shock election victory, U.S. aviation salesman Adam Meyer took the kind of call he knew was coming -- a small Iranian airline wanted to know if its plan to repair a fleet of aging American jets would still be possible. “We have to wait and see,” Meyer, Middle East and Africa managing director for Minnesota-based Brite Air Parts Inc., recalled telling the concerned executive. “Trump can definitely make it difficult for us as an American company, but I’m trying to stay on the side of optimism.” Brite Air is among scores of foreign and Iranian businesses, from oil majors to car makers, whose prospects were dented when Trump became president-elect. Plans are hinged on an Iran open for business after most sanctions were lifted by last year’s nuclear agreement, a deal attacked by Trump as ripe for renegotiation or shredding... Meyer at Brite Air says Europeans businesses have forged ahead in Iran as U.S. firms await export licenses. He’s spent three years laying the groundwork to sell parts and engines to Iranian carriers, and was attending an international air show on Iran’s Kish Island -- a free-trade zone in the Persian Gulf -- at the time of the Congress vote." (Bloomberg News, "Deal Maker or Deal Shredder: Billions Ride on Trump Iran Policy," 11/22/2016).

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Attended the 2016 Iran Aviation Summit. 

"France’s airline Air France said on Wednesday the company has suspended flights over Iraq and Iran airspace after Iranian missile strikes targeting U.S.-led forces." (Reuters, "Air France suspends flights over Iraq and Iran airspace," 1/8/20).

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According to its website, “Melika Seir is the direct agent of … Air France [and] KLM (https://melikaseir.com/en/services/). 

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"An Air France jet flying from Paris to Mumbai on Wednesday was diverted to an airport in Iran after officials say the aircraft suffered a “malfunction” in the ventilation system." (Fox News, "Air France flight diverted to Iran over ventilation 'malfunction', officials say," 5/8/2019). 

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"Will stop services to Iran in September 2018, citing "weak commercial results" in light of U.S. sanctions." ("Air France-KLM, BA Pull Out of Iran Amid U.S. Sanctions," Bloomberg, 8/24/2018.)

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"Much of the growth in international air traffic is due to airlines increasing capacity or frequency of existing routes. But it also includes many European airlines, such as Air France and British Airways, that have been able to restart flights to Iran after long hiatuses... “Iran went from a marginalized and difficult place in the world economy in 2013 to a place of growth,” said Ray Takeyh, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations specializing on Iran." (The Washington Post, "Iran's nuclear deal divided: Skies full of planes," 11/2/2016).

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Air France - KLM is one of the companies listed as a speaker at the HR Trends Summit taking place from October 18-19, 2016 in Tehran, Iran. (Speakers).

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"When Air France-KLM resumed regular flights to Iran last month after an eight-year hiatus, gay flight attendants urged Chief Executive Officer Frederic Gagey to let them take a pass, given that homosexuality can get you executed in the Islamic Republic. 'It's inconceivable to force someone to go to a country where his kind are condemned to death for who they are,' stated their online petition, signed by almost 30,000 people... The brutal killing in Bangladesh last month of a gay activist employed by a U.S. aid agency and increased commerce with Iran following its nuclear deal framework have lent urgency to how companies interact with restrictive governments. Increasingly, it is chief executives instead of politicians who are faced with protecting the rights, and lives, of LGBT employees." (Bloomberg, “Protecting Gay Employees Where Being Gay Is a Crime,” 3/17/2016)

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"Several European airlines aim to resume their flights to Iran following a landmark nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, the state-owned IRAN daily reported on Thursday. The newspaper quoted Mohammad Khodakarami, deputy head of Iran's civil aviation authority, as saying British Airways officials visited Tehran on Tuesday to discuss resumption of flights. He did not elaborate. Khodakarami also said both Air France and Dutch flagship KLM have already expressed their readiness to resume flights to Tehran. Air France said last month it would resume flights to Tehran for the first time in more than seven years starting in April. A KLM spokesman said the carrier always looks for opportunities for new destinations but has not yet make a decision about resuming flights that were suspended in 2013. 'At this moment there are no concrete plans to open Tehran. KLM follows the current situation concerning the lifting of sanctions against Iran closely,' spokesman Joost Ruempol said. BA also has not announced any firm plans to return to Iran, though Willie Walsh, the chief executive of its parent International Airlines Group, reportedly told a recent conference the airline is interested in flying to Tehran soon." (AP, “Iran: European airlines set to resume flights to Tehran,” 1/28/2016)

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KLM and Air France "have become the largest European airline group: one group, two airlines, and three businesses." (KLM Website, "Air France KLM")

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"Air France-KLM will suspend its Amsterdam-Tehran service starting April 2013, a spokesman for the carrier said. It currently flies to Iran four times a week." (Reuters, "Two airlines suspend Iran flights as economy weakens," 1/13/2013)

"Two senior Iranian officials said last year that Iran was expected to buy 100 jets from Boeing once sanctions were lifted. Both Airbus and Boeing would need U.S. export licences to carry out their deals, due to the use of significant U.S. technology in all modern jetliners. Even then, industry sources caution that both deals could take some time to implement because of uncertainty over financing, with the U.S. financial system still closed to Iran… BOC Aviation, a Singapore-based leasing company in which Boeing recently invested as part of its stock market debut, is in discussions with Boeing about financing part of the deal, two people familiar with the matter said." (Reuters, “Iran says reaches deal to acquire Boeing planes,” 6/14/2016)

Companies from South Korea and the Netherlands have also been engaged to offer consultancy on airport city development. According to a master plan devised by Netherlands Airport Consultants for IKIA Airport City Company, the airport’s passenger capacity is to increase to 30 million per year within the next five years from the current 7 million.
The master plan for the IKIA Airport City includes creating a 1,500-hectare free trade zone and a 2,500-hectare special economic zone in a 13,700-hectare area surrounding IKIA." (January 2018)

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"According to Fakhrieh-Kashan, the deal [with Bouygues] was canceled three months ago by the Iranian side because Bouygues failed to fulfill its obligations on time. The French firm was supposed to work with the Netherlands’ Airport Consultants, which is engaged in consulting on aspects of constructions.The deputy minister noted that Bouygues failed to provide Naco with plans and reports as scheduled." (May 2017)

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"Tehran’s international airport is in the early stages of a gradual reinvention, part of a long-term plan to boost trade and turn Iran into a regional hub after its nuclear deal. Central to these hopes are two new terminals and a vast airport free-trade area that includes sections for industry, logistics, hotels and conference centers. While still in its early stages, the government is hoping the overarching development—called Imam Khomeini Airport City—will convince foreign companies and international carriers to start choosing Tehran over other regional hubs... Iran has hired Netherlands Airport Consultants, or NACO, which has worked on major airport projects in Mexico City, Kuala Lumpur and Beijing, as its main adviser." (Wall Street Journal, "Iran Lays Groundwork for Regional Airport Hub in Tehran," 10/4/2016).

"German aircraft engine maker MTU Aero Engines says it is in talks with several Iranian airlines for supplying maintenance services. 'MTU has great interest in supporting Iranian airlines with maintenance services,' Reiner Winkler told Euro am Sonntag weekly. The talks with Iranian companies, he said, are done in consultation with German and US export control authorities. 'In Iran, a lot of Western-manufactured aircraft engines are in use which have an elevated demand for maintenance,” he added.'" (Press TV, "German aircraft engine maker in Iran talks," 8/1/2015)

"The number of foreign airlines active in Iran has dropped in the past few years. Iran's Fars News Agency reported that 27 foreign airlines were active in Iran in the previous Iranian calendar year (which ended March 20, 2014)... Corendon, Shaheen Air, Saudi Arabian Airlines, and Atlasjet were the most active international airlines in Iran in previous year." (Trend, "27 foreign airlines active in Iran," 1/10/15)

"Saudi Arabia has suspended licenses granted to Iran’s Mahan Air to fly through its air space or land at its airports due to violations of local safety rules, the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said on Monday." (April 4, 2016). 

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"The number of foreign airlines active in Iran has dropped in the past few years. Iran's Fars News Agency reported that 27 foreign airlines were active in Iran in the previous Iranian calendar year (which ended March 20, 2014)... Corendon, Shaheen Air, Saudi Arabian Airlines, and Atlasjet were the most active international airlines in Iran in previous year." (Trend, "27 foreign airlines active in Iran," 1/10/15)

"The number of foreign airlines active in Iran has dropped in the past few years. Iran's Fars News Agency reported that 27 foreign airlines were active in Iran in the previous Iranian calendar year (which ended March 20, 2014)... Corendon, Shaheen Air, Saudi Arabian Airlines, and Atlasjet were the most active international airlines in Iran in previous year." (Trend, "27 foreign airlines active in Iran," 1/10/15)