🔶 Mahan Air: Expanding flights in Asia despite sanctions

🔶 Mahan Air: Expanding flights in Asia despite sanctions

Mahan Air, Iran’s largest privately owned airline, is increasing its flights to China and some countries in Southeast Asia, while the United States, by imposing fresh sanctions on Iranian airlines, seeks to limit the country’s air connections with the rest of the world.

According to the German newspaper "Handelsblatt," despite pressure from Washington, some Asian countries have continued to keep their airports open to Iranian flights. At the same time, the introduction of several Boeing 777s into Mahan Air’s fleet via a complex and indirect route has raised questions about how the sanctions are being circumvented, how the aircraft are being supplied, and the state of the airline’s fleet safety.

These developments are taking place as, since spring 2026, foreign airlines have halted their flights to Iran, and as a result of the intensification of U.S. sanctions, international air travel options for Iranian passengers have become even more limited. Under these conditions, Mahan Air has continued to maintain some international routes, including flights to China and Thailand.

From late September 2026, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on all Iranian airlines. The declared aim of this policy is to stop the international activity of Iranian airlines and isolate the country from the world’s air transport network.