Special trip

In the world of travel, a flight can change within hours. An airline disappears from the reservation screen, a direct flight turns into a longer route, or a traveler finds himself forced to change the airline or transit city. In major crises, airports do not need to close their doors until the traveler feels that the map has completely changed.

This scene returns to the forefront today with the clampdown on Iranian airlines, after US Treasury Secretary Scott Besent said that all Iranian airlines will stop around the world starting Wednesday, September 23, at a time when some companies have already begun reducing or suspending international flights. The US Treasury says its recent measures targeted all active Iranian airlines and their associated support and service networks.

27 airlines are under sanctions
On September 8, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on 27 Iranian airlines as part of the “Economic Outcast” process, in addition to intermediaries and networks related to providing aircraft, technology, and services to the sector. What makes the current crisis different is that the matter does not necessarily require an international decision to close the airspace. If the airline is unable to obtain fuel, airport services, sell tickets or make payments, the journey itself becomes more difficult even if the airport remains open.

Flights disappear from the map

The effect is felt by the traveler before anything else. Mahan Air has suspended its international flights to Istanbul, Ankara, and Muscat, while reports indicate a significant decline in the number of international flights to and from Iran, which means fewer options, more complex prices and routes, and greater reliance on transit stations and foreign airlines.

The plane may stop while the airport is open
In modern aviation, flight continuity does not depend on the runway alone. Fuel, ground services, insurance, payment systems, and ticket sales are all essential parts of the trip. If this loop is broken, a flight may disappear from the departure schedule while the airport itself continues to operate normally.

46 years ago...the problem was in the runway itself

Returning to history reveals a striking paradox. On September 22, 1980, the Iran-Iraq War began with raids targeting airports and air facilities, making the sky and airports a direct part of the conflict.

Today the nature of the crisis has changed: flights no longer stop just because the airport was attacked or because the airspace was closed. Rather, they may stop because the plane does not find fuel, ground service, or a financial channel that allows it to continue the flight.

But the result for the traveler is the same: when aviation enters the heart of the conflict, the map of travel changes before the map of borders changes.