Iranian jet with passengers aboard seized at Istanbul airport over €3-million debt
Court-ordered officers seized a Caspian Airlines Boeing 737 at Istanbul airport moments before takeoff, over an approximately €3-million debt claim. Passengers had already boarded the Iran-bound flight.
An Iranian airliner was seized at Istanbul Airport on Monday just as it was preparing to depart with passengers already on board. Court-ordered bailiffs and lawyers representing creditor ACM Temsil Gözetim, an aviation representation and supervision firm, served the seizure order on the Caspian Airlines Boeing 737, registered EP-KPB, over a debt claim of roughly €3 million, according to Anadolu Agency. Passengers and cabin crew were removed and returned to the terminal.
Caspian Airlines, founded in 1993 and based in Tehran, operates as part of Iran's state aviation group, flying Boeing 737s on domestic and international routes including to Istanbul.
Sanctions squeeze
Iranian carriers have long struggled to maintain their fleets and meet obligations to foreign partners because of decades of US sanctions restricting access to aircraft, spare parts, maintenance and international financial systems. The war between the US and Iran, which began in February, has intensified these pressures, repeatedly disrupting Iranian airspace and curtailing international routes.
The seizure came days after sweeping new US secondary sanctions targeting Iran's aviation sector took effect last Wednesday. On 8 September, the US Treasury sanctioned 27 Iranian airlines and nine associated service providers under Operation Economic Outcast, warning that foreign airports, fuel suppliers, ground handlers and ticketing firms still servicing Iranian carriers risked losing access to the US dollar system themselves.
The measures triggered a swift contraction of Iranian aviation abroad, with flights suspended in Iraq, the UAE, Azerbaijan and Oman. Iran's largest private carrier, Mahan Air, suspended flights to Turkey and Oman, while Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines halted their Iran routes through 24 October. Tracking data shows daily international flights at Tehran's main airport fell from 80-90 before the sanctions to around 41 by Monday. Tehran has lodged formal complaints with the UN, ICAO and the International Court of Justice. Turkey has not formally banned Iranian carriers, which is why Caspian Airlines was still flying the Istanbul route when the seizure occurred.
