IRANIAN airline, Mahan Air,
has denied that it has plans
to fly to South Africa.
This is despite an
application for a Scheduled
Foreign Operator’s Permit
which is currently with the
South African Department
of Transport (see TNW,
August 31).
Meanwhile, Kendy
Phohleli, md of aviation
consultancy, XYZ
Consulting, was recently
a speaker at an aviation
industry event in Iran. He
says that since the lifting
of international sanctions,
all the Iranian carriers are
looking at opportunities
to expand their networks.
“South Africa was one
market mentioned.”
Kendy says airlines
sometimes strategically
apply for traffic rights so
that they are designated on
a particular route over other
carriers. This essentially
blocks their competitors
from launching flights on
the route over the next
12 to 24 months. “Many
airlines do this,” he says.
