Iranian Mahan Air to resume Tehran-Belgrade flights

Iranian carrier Mahan Air plans to resume operations between Tehran and Belgrade as of this Sunday, with the airline recently putting tickets for the route on sale via its website. Mahan Air has scheduled two weekly services between the two capitals, each Friday and Sunday.

The flights are aimed at Chinese tour groups, but seats are available for booking to the general public as well.

– In addition to carrying Iranian and Chinese passengers between our two countries, Mahan Air is also connecting Chinese travelers to Europe in order to attract more transit passengers on our current European destinations – the Iranian carrier said.

It added that it was worth noting that they had recently launched flights to Shenzhen, their fourth destination in China, in addition to their scheduled flights to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou and that the number of Mahan Air flights to China amounted to fifteen per week, EX-YU Aviation News reports.

Mahan Air initially planned to shuttle Chinese tourists to Banja Luka. Despite being issued a permit by the Bosnia and Herzegovina Directorate for Civil Aviation, as well as selling tickets between Tehran and Banja Luka for almost two months, the airline now seems to have substituted the service with Belgrade instead.

Serbia is one of only four European countries, along with neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina, which does not require entry visas for Chinese passport holders. Iran itself is also waiving visa requirements for Chinese nationals at the end of this month. The Tehran - Belgrade service will be operated by the 202-seat Airbus A310-300 aircraft.

The airline maintains scheduled flights to some fifty destinations.

The new service will mark Mahan Air's return to Belgrade after almost a year. It previously maintained several weekly flights from Tehran to the Serbian capital with its Airbus A340-300 jet. During the 2018 summer season, several Iranian carriers, including Iran Air and Qeshm Air, launched services to Belgrade after Serbia became the only European country to allow visa-free entry for Iranian passport holders.

However, by October, visa requirements were reintroduced after an increased number of asylum seekers abused the visa free policy. Belgrade Airport and Serbian immigration officers have since introduced an additional passport check for all passengers arriving on flights from Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa.

Travelers flying to Belgrade on Turkish Airlines, Pegasus Airlines, Atlasglobal, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Flydubai and Tunis Air are required to immediately present their passports for inspection upon landing at the gate, after which their travel documents are checked again at passport control.

Direkcija za civilno zrakoplovstvo BiH BHDCA Banja Luka

Mahan Air

Iran Air

Qeshm Air

Turkish Airlines

Pegasus Airlines

Atlasglobal

Etihad Airways

Qatar Airways

Flyduba

Tunis Air

Bosnia and Herzegovina Directorate for Civil Aviation

Tehran Belgrade airline

Tehran Banjaluka airline