(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — Unidentified parties have successfully smuggled two commercial Airbus A340 aircraft owned by Gambia-based leasing company Macka Invest, flying them from Lithuania to Iran.
Media reports in Lithuania indicate that one of the Airbus A340 planes landed at Mehrabad Airport while the other touched down at Konarak Airport, Charbahar in southern Iran.
“With this, the Iranian airline, Mahan Air, has successfully acquired two commercial aircraft, circumventing the economic sanctions imposed on the country due to its nuclear program,” stated the report.
Both aircraft reportedly switched off their transponders as soon as they entered Iranian airspace to prevent the tracking of their final positions.
Another Airbus A340, also belonging to Macka Invest and originally destined for the Philippines, remains in Lithuania.
It was prevented from flying to its intended destination due to carrying various aircraft spare parts, according to Aurelija Kuezada, director of Siauliai Airport in Lithuania, speaking to local media.
“The plane was supposed to fly to the Philippines, but we anticipate that it could also end up in Iran, and we are powerless to prevent that. That’s why we did not allow it to depart when we learned that the first commercial aircraft had landed in Iran,” she said.
Lithuanian authorities have stated that the flights of the two Airbus A340s outside Lithuanian airspace have not raised any concerns and are considered the responsibility of other national authorities.
This incident echoes a similar occurrence in 2022 when four commercial Airbus A340 planes took off from Johannesburg heading to Uzbekistan but, nearing Iranian airspace, shut off their transponders and reportedly landed in Iran.
Due to economic sanctions stemming from its nuclear development, Iranian commercial airlines are prohibited from purchasing new commercial aircraft and spare parts.
These sanctions have led to a crisis in the commercial aviation industry, with over 500 planes grounded and unable to fly due to a lack of spare parts.
Industry experts have indicated that Iran needs 400 new commercial aircraft, but economic sanctions prevent the purchase of new planes and also block upgrades and maintenance work on existing aircraft.
These restrictions have also led to an increase in air accidents within the country.
According to the Aviation Safety Network, since economic sanctions were imposed on Iran following the Islamic Revolution in 1979, air incidents have resulted in 1,755 fatalities.
Iran Air, the national carrier, reportedly owns 335 aircraft, but half of them are grounded due to the unavailability of spare parts. — DSA