Air France to reopen Paris-Tehran route in April

French carrier to operate three flights a week to Iran as two countries strengthen economic ties

By AFP 8 December 2015, 4:09 pm

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Illustrative photo of an Air France Airbus shortly after takeoff (Alf van Beem/Wikimedia Commons, File)

PARIS, France — Air France said Tuesday it is to resume flights from its Paris hub to Tehran, a route suspended in 2008 after Iran was hit with international sanctions over its nuclear ambitions.

“Air France is showing its ambition to develop its business in a country with dynamic growth, the European Union being Iran’s fourth-biggest economic partner,” the company said in a statement in revealing it would start three flights a week starting in April.

The move comes as the two countries look to strengthen commercial ties in the wake of last July’s landmark deal on Iran’s nuclear program following almost two years of talks.

France’s trade ties with Iran had been worth four billion euros ($4.2 billion) in 2004 but that slumped to 500 million by 2013 as sanctions took hold.

Some 150 French entrepreneurs accompanied by two government ministers traveled to Tehran for a September trade mission as the French stepped up ties following the successful outcome of the nuclear talks.

Air France also announced it would from next summer run daily a service from Paris Orly, south of the capital to New York, “complementing five daily services from Paris-Charles de Gaulle.”

The French carrier said the move comes as part of its transatlantic joint venture arrangement with Delta.