- Turkish Airlines, Pegasus and AJet removed Iran flights starting September 21, 2026.
- No Iran service appears before March 2027, and officials gave no restart guarantee.
- New U.S. sanctions and Mahan Air restrictions are adding pressure on regional Iran routes.
Turkish Airlines removed all Iran flights from its schedule starting September 21, 2026, with no service planned before March 2027. A company representative said the carrier has not guaranteed that flights will return after that date.
The timeline came from a representative speaking by phone. No public airline statement accompanies the reported schedule change. The representative said there were “no flights scheduled to Iran before March 2027” and that “there was no guarantee services would resume even then.”
The cancellations involved three Turkish carriers. Turkish Airlines, Pegasus and AJet reportedly canceled Iran flights beginning September 21, 2026.
Their booking systems do not show the same result. The first carrier’s website and AJet’s website showed no Iran flights until March 2027. Pegasus appeared to have removed its Iran routes from its booking system.
New U.S. sanctions form part of the timing. The measures took effect on September 21, 2026, the same day the reported cancellations began.
Scott Bessent, the U.S. Treasury Secretary, warned that Iranian airlines would be effectively shut out of international operations from September 23. He said, “all the Iranian airlines will be shut down around the world” from that date.
Three dates define the immediate disruption
The reported schedule changes and sanctions warning center on three dates:
| Date | Development |
|---|---|
| September 21, 2026 | Iran flight cancellations began, and new U.S. sanctions took effect. |
| September 23 | Bessent said Iranian airlines would be effectively shut out of international operations. |
| March 2027 | The earliest month shown for the suspended carriers’ Iran schedules, without a guaranteed restart. |
The dates establish a sequence, not a firm reopening plan. The company representative described March 2027 as the point before which no flights were scheduled, while also rejecting any guarantee of service afterward.
The sanctions may affect aircraft as well as airlines. One account said the restrictions covered Airbus aircraft containing U.S.-made components, rather than applying only to Boeing aircraft.
That broadens the exposure for carriers operating Iran routes. The aircraft issue is part of the reported rationale for the suspensions.
Mahan Air faces separate restrictions in three countries
The schedule action followed separate pressure on Mahan Air, Iran’s largest private carrier. Mahan Air confirmed that it would suspend flights to and from Turkey from September 21, 2026.
The carrier also said it would suspend services to Oman and Georgia. Those changes extend beyond the Turkey-Iran market.
A Turkish official said Mahan Air was the only Iranian carrier barred from flying to Turkey as of Monday. Other Iranian airlines could still operate for now.
Turkish officials had previously said the Mahan Air suspension did not amount to a general ban on all Iranian airlines. Other carriers remained under review because of sanctions risk and aviation-safety concerns.
That distinction separates the Mahan Air action from a blanket restriction on every Iranian carrier. The review of other airlines remained ongoing in the reported account.
The carrier has warned that nearby flights could also be canceled
A notice on the carrier’s website said:
“Some of our flights to and from Iran and the surrounding region have been cancelled. The current situation in the region's airspace is being monitored in real-time, and additional flight cancellations may occur.”
The notice covers Iran and the surrounding region. It does not set a new timetable for the suspended Iran routes.
The immediate schedule change remains the clearest date for travelers checking the market: no Iran flights appear before March 2027. The representative’s warning leaves the eventual restart unresolved.
