Mahan Air (W5, Tehran Mehrabad) has had its permission to fly to Italy withdrawn by the country's civil aviation authority (Ente Nazionale per l'Aviazione Civile - ENAC) with effect from December 15.

In a press release issued by ENAC on October 30 from its headquarters in Rome, it reports that the services offered by Mahan Air during the IATA Winter 2019-2020 season - twice-weekly A340-600 flights to both Milan Malpensa and Rome Fiumicino - are now only authorised until mid-December.

According to Reuters, it alleges that the decision for ENAC to suspend Mahan Air's services came as a result of pressure from the United States, which accuses the airline of transporting military equipment and personnel to war zones in the Middle East.

ENAC's announcement follows on from other European nations deciding to ban the airline's flights. Germany revoked the Mahan Air’s license in January, while France followed suit in March.

Other than its Italian flights, within Europe Mahan Air currently flies to Istanbul Airport four times daily, Banja Luka International twice-weekly, Barcelona El Prat twice-weekly, Moscow Vnukovo 3x weekly, St. Petersburg once-weekly, and Yerevan daily, all operated from its base at Tehran Imam Khomeini.

ch-aviation contacted ENAC to understand whether dialogue is ongoing between the Italian and Iranian authorities, but has is yet to respond with any further clarity on the matter.