Turkiye seizes Iranian airline’s plane over unpaid debt: reports
Turkish authorities seized a Caspian Airlines Boeing 737 in Istanbul due to an unpaid debt of 3 million euros for airport services. The airline stated the issue is administrative and expects the plane to return to Iran shortly.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the ongoing financial and operational pressures on Iranian airlines amidst international sanctions and regional tensions.
ISTANBUL: Turkish authorities have seized a plane belonging to Iran’s Caspian Airlines in Istanbul over an alleged unpaid debt of 3.0 million euros ($3.4 million), media from both countries said on Tuesday.
The Boeing 737 jet had completed embarkment and was preparing for takeoff on Monday, when officials detained it on the basis of a court-issued seizure order, Turkiye’s Anadolu news agency said.
The reports did not cite new US sanctions against Iranian airlines, an effort to further choke the country’s economy during the Middle East war.
In a statement relayed by Iranian state television, Caspian Airlines said the Istanbul flight to Tehran faced “temporary operational restrictions regarding one of its Boeing aircraft due to an administrative issue in Turkiye.”
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