Emirates Have Been Fined Over 1 MILLION Dirhams For Accidentally Flying Over Iran
Emirates Have Been Fined Over 1 MILLION Dirhams For Accidentally Flying Over Iran
Dubai-based airline, Emirates has been fined AED1,469,188 ($400,000) by the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) for flying through Tehran’s flight information region (FIR).
Because of the fact that the Emirates carriers were operating under JetBlue’s (an American low-cost airline) designator code on codeshare flights, the airline was imposed with such a hefty fine.
Simple Flying further elaborated on the incident and clarified that,
The United States bans its air carriers from flying through airspace that it deems dangerous.
However, it seems as though it can also prohibit other carriers depending on the circumstances. This is the case when a foreign air carrier is operating a flight with a United States airline code, for example, during codeshare operations. In June 2019, the DOT fined Lufthansa $25,000 for illegal taxation.
So, in a nutshell, a filed NOTAM prohibits US carriers from operating in the airspace around Tehran. This ALSO affects flights that carry the code of a US carrier.
Basically, Emirates is being fined because the airline flew through Iranian airspace on various occasions at a time when it was deemed unsafe by the US authorities
(Whilst operating with a US airline code)
According to the DOT, between July 1-July 19, 2019, Emirates operated a number of flights within the Tehran FIR. This was an issue as the flights in question were conducted under a codeshare agreement with JetBlue.
Simple Flying further explained that,
According to the DOT filing, Emirates initially suspended all flights in Iranian airspace, apart from its Tehran service, in response to the US NOTAM. However, when it did resume flights through the airspace, it inadvertently retained the JetBlue code on such flights. As soon as the airline became aware of this mistake, it removed the codeshare number from flights operating in Iranian airspace.
Although, the DOT clarified that, half the fine will be waived if the airline avoids similar violations for a year.
Emirates responded back saying that it operated a small number of flights over Iran “due to an inadvertent oversight” and that Emirates is fully co-operating with “the DOT during the subsequent inquiry process”
As explained in a statement given to Simple Flying by an Emirates spokesperson. Emirates further mentioned,
We accept the order of the US Department of Transport (DOT) relating to our compliance with the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Notice-to-Airmen KICZ A0019/19, dated 21 June 2019 (NOTAM)…
Emirates takes its regulatory compliance responsibilities extremely seriously, and we regret that due to an inadvertent oversight, we had operated a small number of flights in July 2019 which did not comply with the FAA NOTAM. When alerted to the matter, we took prompt corrective action, and have co-operated fully with the DOT during the subsequent inquiry process.
Emirates has a strong record of compliance with the Department’s rules and regulations. We devote significant resources and focus to maintain and continue to strengthen our robust compliance record. Indeed, as a foreign carrier with a significant amount of service to the United States, we are proud of our compliance record, which is among the best in the industry.
Although Emirates opposes to being fined such a hefty sum for an accidental error, the airline has agreed to pay the issued fine to resolve the matter
Reports also suggest that Emirates could get away by paying AED734,540 ($200,000), which is half of the original fine amount of AED1,469,188 ($400,000).
However, the remaining balance will be imposed once again if Emirates doesn’t pay the first half or violates the same rules again.
