Chairman of the Association of Travel Services Offices: Traffic of Iranian passengers to Turkey has not been released Despite the promise to reopen the Iran-Turkey air border and start selling tickets for the Tehran-Istanbul flight, Harmatullah Rafiei says that the movement of Iranian passengers and tourists to Turkey is not yet free. According to RahBalad, after consulting with our Foreign Minister, Turkey announced that the air border between the two countries will be open from 1th August. Following the agreement, ticket sales on the Tehran-Istanbul route by a domestic airline resumed on 7th July, although the airline issued a statement traveling to Turkey only for Turkish citizens, permanent residents of Turkey and holders. A valid work visa from this country is considered possible and announced: the names of travelers who have applied for registration and ticket reservation will be sent to Turkey for approval and if these documents are not approved, the entry of passengers will be prevented and ticket return will be possible. does not have.   Turkey, which has blocked land and air borders with the outbreak of the corona virus in Iran, has not yet made a definite decision on whether to open land passenger borders. On the other hand, Harmatullah Rafiei, president of the Iranian Air Travel and Tourism Offices Association, told ISNA: “Even the reopening of the Iran-Turkey air border is uncertain, as Turkish Airlines has extended flights several times and set a date.” Has changed flights.   He believes that the sale of tickets for Turkish flights, while the Turkish government has not yet made a definite decision to accept Iranian passengers, is more like a game, just so that people can buy tickets. However, there is no guarantee that passengers will be refunded if the flight is suspended.

Reza Jafarzadeh, a spokesman for the airline, said in a recent interview that the air borders between Iran and Turkey would be reopened soon, without giving an exact date.   From 1th July, the Turkish government will open its borders to a number of countries that have controlled the coronavirus. Iran’s name is not yet among these countries; However, sales of Tehran-Istanbul tickets have started on some domestic websites a few days ago. Turkish Airlines has also announced that Turkish flights to Tehran will resume on July  (July), although the foreign minister has set August. 1 as the deadline for reopening the joint air border with Iran.   Statistics from the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism show that Iran was one of the top five tourist destinations in Turkey in the first three months of 2020, following the closure of its borders following the outbreak of the coronavirus. Iranian citizens do not need a visa to travel to Turkey, so it is one of the busiest foreign destinations. Mehdi Rezaei, secretary of the Turkish Consortium in the Association of Travel Services, told ISNA that the Turkish border is not yet open to Iranian travelers and tourists. “In the current situation, the agreement between the countries is more aimed at calming the spirit,” Iran and Turkey, for example, have already agreed to allow one Turkish and one Iranian flight a day, flights that are likely to be completely empty. On the other hand, Iranian citizens are currently allowed to travel to Turkey, where they either reside or work. Otherwise, they will return the passenger. Even the same authorized people will be returned if they do not have a health certificate or have the slightest sign of coronavirus.   “The conditions for tourist travel to Turkey have not yet been met, and 90% of hotels are not yet open and are not ready to accept travelers,” he said.

The secretary of the Turkish Consortium at the Association of Air Travel and Tourism Offices does not see the use of Turkish flights for transit to a third country as a safe way, saying that the third-country protocol may not be the same as for Turkey. We do not recommend agencies. It is possible that the offices or agency of the Turkish Airlines will not be aware of the third country protocol or will provide incomplete and incorrect information to the passenger.   Rezaei also points to the start of ticket sales for the Tehran-Istanbul flight, adding that airlines have recently settled part of their debts, which could hurt others, such as a passenger booking a ticket.

Don’t do it on the due date, the disaster that has befallen the people for several months, the passenger money has remained in the airline’s pocket for five months, and the lack of a proper mechanism has prevented them from listening to foreign airlines. Unfortunately, this has been the case in the past, and we have not taken the right position to pursue the rights of Iranian citizens, and we must look for the reason in the absence of a binding mechanism.