Iran slams Europe for refusing to sell jet fuel to its airplanes
By Sara Rajabova
Iran criticized the European countries for refusing to sell jet fuel to Iranian airplanes.
An Iranian aviation official blamed some European countries for refusing to provide Iranian planes with fuel, saying the move is in "blatant violation" of international regulations.
Deputy Director of Iran Civil Aviation Organization, Mohammad Khodakarami said some European airports still refuse to sell jet fuel to Iranian airplanes, which violates the Convention on International Civil Aviation, Iran's IRNA News Agency reported.
Khodakarami said some European states have refrained from supplying fuel to Iranian passenger planes in their airports since 2010.
He said for more than three years, these countries have been violating the international laws in the world's aviation industry, including the 1944 Chicago Convention.
Khodakarami noted that the mentioned airports didn't make any change in their policy even after the interim nuclear deal between Tehran and the P5+1 group of countries, which inked last November in Geneva.
He said nine countries including Germany, France, and England currently refuse to sell jet fuel to Iran.
Khodakarami further pointed out that the refusal has created many problems, including a rise in the flight time, aircraft impairment, an increase in fuel consumption, a drop in the deployment of airplanes in the fleet and unnecessary flights by Iranian airlines.
It was reported in July 2010 that some airports in Germany, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Britain refused to sell jet fuel to Iranian airplanes. Iranian officials rejected the report for a long time.
The Financial Times reported that the airports used to argue that oil products distribution companies were in charge of providing the airplanes with jet fuel, and due to the U.S.-led sanctions they cannot do so further.
In October 2010 Iran finally confirmed the reports, and in April 2011 stoped selling jet fuel to European airplanes in Iranian airports in retaliation.
After signing an interim deal between Iran and with the P5+1, some of the sanctions that were imposed on Tehran were lifted, but the ban on gasoline trades with the country still remained in place.