Iran Air cuts fares on Dubai-Beijing route

Iran Air's cargo movements between Dubai and Beijing, via Tehran, remain non-existent after almost 30 years of flying on the route.

"There is no one enquiring for cargo from Dubai to Beijing (and vice versa)," said an airline spokesman. "But if they came and asked, we would think about it."

However, the airline is succeeding with passenger numbers.

Since 2000, the airline has offered discounted fares during the low season to boost load factors.
Fares from Dubai to Beijing, via Tehran, have just been reduced to Dh1,930 from about Dh2,500. And fares to Tokyo, which is an extension of the route, are now Dh2,850, instead of about Dh3,000.

The dropping of fares over the past few years has had the desired effect, said a spokesman.
"We introduced this special fare in 2000, since then the demand has been very good," he said.

The airline, which flies daily from Dubai to Tehran and twice weekly from Tehran to Beijing and Tokyo, is popular with travellers from Dubai because of the short travel time, he added.

"Other carriers do the same sort of flight but we are the shortest non-direct as it is only about two hours to Tehran. There there is about a three hour stop. Then it is about another seven hours flying to Beijing. So all up it is about 12 hours.

"But it is about 24 hours with the other carriers who have to stop in the Far East because they usually have a night stop in Hong Kong or Singapore because they have to go via there."

The load factor on the flight is good, thanks to demand from both Dubai and the European sector.