Sanctioned Iranian Airlines Keep Flying to Turkey

Fear of U.S. sanctions has helped stop Iranian airlines from operating in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman. But in Turkey, Iranian planes are still flying.

Flights from Iran continue to arrive in Turkey despite U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s announcement that “on September 23, all the Iranian airlines will be shut down around the world.” Bessent underlined that companies providing these airlines with fuel or ground services risk being cut off from the dollar system. Yet September 23 came and went, and Turkey continued to allow numerous U.S.-sanctioned Iranian carriers to land at airports across the country, even though Ankara has imposed some restrictions on aviation ties with Iran. Specifically, Turkish air carriers have stopped flying to Iran, while Mahan Air, which has been sanctioned by the United States, stopped flying to Turkey on September 21.

Washington sanctioned Mahan Air over its support for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). However, other sanctioned airlines — including Caspian Airlines and Meraj Air, which were designated as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) in 2014, and Iran Air, which is also sanctioned under multiple U.S. authorities — continue to operate flights to Turkey.

Turkey’s Iran Aviation Policy Remains Selective

A review of Flightradar24 histories, an internet service that displays real-time aircraft tracking, shows that from September 23 through September 27, at least 83 flights operated by U.S.-sanctioned Iranian carriers made confirmed landings in Turkey. The traffic was spread across Istanbul, Izmir, and Ankara.

Twelve sanctioned Iranian airlines appear in the confirmed arrivals. Iran Airtour and Caspian Airlines each accounted for 12 landings, Iran Air for 10, and ATA Airlines and AVA Airlines for nine each. Saha, Varesh, Sepehran, and Zagros Airlines each made five confirmed landings, while Meraj and Soroush Air each made four and Qeshm Air made three.

Eight of the 12 airlines identified in the flight data were individually designated by the Treasury Department on September 8 under Executive Order (E.O.) 13902 for operating in Iran’s aviation sector.

Turkish Companies Still Providing Support to Iranian Carriers

The Iranian airlines depend on Turkish companies operating at these airports to keep their flights running. Those services can include ground handling, which includes refueling, passenger check-in, and cargo handling.

A review of the Turkish General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMI) database shows that FUGO Ground Services, a Turkish ground-handling company, has direct service agreements with at least eight U.S.-sanctioned Iranian carriers currently operating in Turkey as of September 28, 2026. FUGO is contracted with Iran Air, ATA, Sepehran, Meraj, Varesh, Caspian, Saha, and Zagros Airlines at airports in Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir to provide them with passenger services and ramp handling. Most of these contracts were signed or took effect in 2026. DHMI regulations state that changes to such arrangements be made public, suggesting that, absent any announced change, the agreements remain in effect.

FUGO appears to have a longstanding pattern of working with sanctioned airlines. It has provided services to Mahan Air since 2021, and the majority of the airline contracts identified in its publicly available records involve carriers, including Russian ones, subject to U.S. sanctions and restrictions.

Washington Should Sanction Turkish Entities Providing Material Support

Washington has warned that persons providing material support or services to sanctioned Iranian airlines may face U.S. sanctions exposure. Treasury should therefore consider designating FUGO pursuant to E.O. 13902 for materially assisting or providing goods or services to or in support of Iranian airlines blocked under that authority, including through the provision of ground-handling services that have enabled their continued operations at Turkish airports. Treasury can also consider designating FUGO pursuant to E.O. 13224 for materially assisting and supporting Caspian Airlines and Meraj Air, the two carriers Treasury has designated as SDGTs. Washington could also press Ankara to halt landings by the U.S.-sanctioned Iranian carriers.

 Ahmad Sharawi is a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he focuses on Middle East affairs, specifically the Levant, Iraq, and Iranian intervention in Arab affairs. Sinan Ciddi is a senior fellow and director of the Turkey Program at FDD. For more analysis from Ahmad, Sinan, and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Ahmad and Sinan on X @AhmadA_Sharawi and @SinanCiddi. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.