Iranian charter carrier ends Tehran–Minsk link after four flights

An Iranian charter carrier, Atlas Air, began flying between Tehran and Minsk on 16 August, but the service lasted only four flights before being discontinued.

The aircraft used was not a long-haul type. It was a McDonnell Douglas MD-87 with 25 seats and a conference room, registered EP-SAT. The airframe was delivered to Japan Airlines in March 1992 and has been with Atlas Air since late 2025, according to the source.

Neither Belavia nor Mahan Air operated the flights. Belavia ended its Minsk–Tehran service in 2018, and a 2023 attempt to restart the route with Mahan Air resulted in a single flight.

Iran and Belarus have both expanded cooperation in recent years, including military, industrial and agricultural ties and easier entry procedures, but a regular air link between the two capitals has remained absent. The reasons for the latest route's abrupt end were not stated in the source, which notes only that the connection is already a thing of the past. The report adds that US sanctions are among the factors surrounding the operation.

The service has been described as unusual, in part because of the aircraft and cabin configuration chosen for the sector.