A Norwegian Air Jet stuck in Iran due to Trump sanctions.
LONDON — When a technical error forced a Norwegian Air jet to land at Shiraz Airport in Iran last month, the Boeing 737 touched down in uncharted territory.
The airline, known for cheap long-haul flights from Europe, does not have a base in Iran. It had never flown there before. And nearly a month after it left Dubai, the brand-new American-made jet, delivered to Norwegian Air only in October, was still sitting in Shiraz.
The jet appeared to be caught up in United States sanctions on Tehran’s nuclear program that prohibit civilian aircraft sales, including services and parts. Those came into force again last year after President Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal that had eased punitive measures in return for verifiable pledges of peaceful nuclear work.
A technical error in one of the engines prompted the landing on Dec. 14, a spokesman for Norwegian Air said by phone on Tuesday, and the 186 passengers and six crew members on board were unharmed. They spent the night in Iran and flew to Oslo the next day.
But things are more complicated for the plane. The spokesman said that Norwegian Air had never before dealt with regulations on the ground in Iran, and that the paperwork for anything from getting engineers to spare parts was taking longer than usual. He did not give an estimate of when the plane might take off again.
The case has highlighted the extent of sanctions imposed on Iran’s civilian aviation. The country’s airlines have been flying an aging fleet of Western aircraft, some secondhand and purchased clandestinely from third countries.
The export restrictions apply to any company that wants to sell or resell goods to Iran that contain more than 10 percent aviation parts or technology from the United States, said Anahita Thoms, a lawyer who specializes in trade issues at Baker McKenzie in Düsseldorf, Germany.
That’s tight enough to cover not just American manufacturers like Boeing, but also planes from Airbus in Europe and Sukhoi in Russia.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/a-norwegian-air-jet-landed-in-iran-4-weeks-ago-it-cant-leave-yet/ar-BBS17or?li=BBnbcA1
