Turkish court seizes Iranian Caspian Airlines jet over $3.4m debt

A Turkish court has impounded an aircraft belonging to Iran’s Caspian Airlines over a $3.4 million debt owed to a Turkish company, Turkish and Iranian media reported on Tuesday. The incident appears unrelated to US sanctions on Iran’s aviation sector.

The Boeing 737 had completed boarding and was preparing for departure from Istanbul Airport on Monday evening when Turkish authorities intervened and prevented it from taking off.

Caspian Airlines said in a statement carried by Iranian state television that one of its planes faced “temporary operational restrictions due to an administrative issue in Turkey.”

Iranian state TV confirmed the incident, noting that passengers were forced to disembark and that the seizure was due to a $3.4 million debt for services provided at Istanbul Airport.

According to Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, lawyers for the creditor company and enforcement officers went to Istanbul Airport to carry out the court order. The Turkish Foreign Ministry did not respond to AFP’s requests for comment.

The seizure comes as Iranian airlines face US restrictions and sanctions, but this incident has not been directly linked to those measures.

Earlier this month, the United States imposed sanctions on Iran’s entire aviation sector, warning foreign companies against assisting the industry or risk being blacklisted.