An Iranian passenger jet operated by Caspian Airlines was seized at Istanbul Airport after a Turkish aviation services company pursued legal action over an unpaid debt of around €3 million, or about $3.4 million.
The Boeing 737, registered EP-KPB, had already completed departure preparations and boarded passengers for a flight to Iran when lawyers and enforcement officers arrived at the aircraft. The action followed a court decision obtained by ACM Temsil Gözetim, the company seeking payment from the Iranian carrier.
Passengers and crew were ordered off the aircraft and escorted back to the terminal, while the plane remained at the airport under the seizure order.
Iran Civil Aviation Org has confirmed that an Iranian passenger aircraft, operated by Iran’s Caspian Airlines, has been seized yesterday in Türkiye over an alleged unpaid debt of around €3m. The aircraft involved is reportedly registered as EP-KPB.
— Ghoncheh Habibiazad | غنچه (@GhonchehAzad) September 29, 2026
Court action stops flight before departure
The seizure took place Monday as the aircraft was preparing to leave Istanbul. Reports said representatives of ACM Temsil Gözetim, accompanied by bailiffs, served the order before the jet could take off.
Caspian Airlines, founded in 1993 and based in Tehran, operates domestic routes inside Iran as well as international services, including flights to Türkiye. The seized aircraft is a Boeing 737-500 that joined the airline’s fleet in January 2020, according to fleet information cited by Türkiye Today.
The incident comes amid wider financial and operational pressures on Iranian aviation. Airlines from Iran have long dealt with restrictions tied to US sanctions, which have complicated access to aircraft, spare parts, maintenance support and international financial services.
Sanctions add pressure to Iranian aviation
The seizure also came days after a new round of US secondary sanctions targeting Iran’s aviation sector took effect. Washington sanctioned 27 Iranian airlines and nine related service providers earlier in September, while warning foreign companies that continued providing services to designated carriers of possible penalties.
Caspian Airlines was not among the 27 carriers newly designated in September, although Türkiye Today reported that the airline has been under US sanctions since 2014.
The wider measures have already disrupted Iranian international air travel, with routes suspended or reduced in several regional markets. Despite that pressure, Türkiye had not formally barred Iranian airlines, allowing Caspian Airlines and other carriers to continue serving Istanbul.
For the passengers aboard EP-KPB, however, the legal dispute turned what was expected to be a routine departure into an abrupt return to the terminal, with the aircraft left behind under Turkish enforcement control.
