Germany, Netherland Start Refueling Iran Air Jets
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – After four years of US-led sanctions against Iran, which banned European airports from providing jet fuel for the country’s airlines, the airports in Germany and the Netherlands have recently began to refuel jets of the Iran Air.
Germany and the Netherlands have started to refuel the air fleet of the Iran Air since three days ago, informed sources told the Tasnim News Agency on Saturday.
Before the two countries, Slovenia, Poland and Russia provided the Iran Air with jet fuel up to about 35 tons per day. Meantime, Turkey also refueled the airplanes of the Iran Air without any restrictions.
According to the informed sources, French airports will also resume refueling Iranian planes in a few days.
Back in October 2010, US President Barack Obama warned large oil companies like BP, Shell and Total to abandon their business relations with Iran.
According to the Spiegel Online, what he actually meant at the time were oil production projects by the companies in the country. But the companies went a step further and cancelled contracts for delivering jet fuel with Iranian airlines.
The US treasury also barred European airports from providing Iranian airlines, including Iran Air, with fuel or accepting money from them. Furthermore, US sanctions have prevented Iranian airlines from being allowed to land or operate in the US.
Unlike US flights, Iranian airlines still travel to London directly but are denied re-fuelling. Iran Air has at least three flights a week to London but has to stop in Ljubljana, Slovenia, to refuel each time it returns to Tehran. It can refuel in Ljubljana since the airport there has no direct flight to the US.
