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plane fleets in working order despite a lack of available parts caused by the application of US sanctions.
The plane, which flew to Bandar Mahshahr from Mehrabad Airport in Tehran, was captured on social media channels​ ​lying on its belly​ in the middle of a city boulevard next to the airport​ (​video​).
Mahshahr Governor Mohsen Beyranvand said control of the plane was lost on the airport runway due to a technical failure. “It skidded off the runway, crossed the road, and stopped on Mahshahr's entrance street," IFP quoted him as saying. "The officials involved are trying to dump fuel from the airliner so that they can return it to the runway as soon as possible," he added.
“The plane did not catch fire and all passengers safely left the plane,” managing director of Khuzestan Airports Mohammad Reza Rezaei was quoted as saying by IRNA.
An unverified video shared on social media showed passengers being evacuated from the plane. Reuters said photographs of the aircraft show registration number EP-CPZ, a McDonnell Douglas MD-83 built in 1994.
On January 25, an Iranian Airbus A300 flying from Tehran to Istanbul made an emergency landing at a Tehran airport because of a technical problem in which the pilot “felt the engine shaking”, local media reported. On January 26, the departure of a Gorgan-to-Tehran Fokker-100 flight was cancelled due to “engine trouble”.'
These incidents come just weeks after Iran’s worst air disaster in the country’s recent history—an​ ​Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps​ (IRGC) missile gunner shot down a Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-300 just outside Tehran on January 8 in a case of mistaken identity. The gunner is said to have calculated that the plane was an incoming US missile. There were no survivors from the 176 people that were on board.
9.1.4​ Transport sector news
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has suspended the Al-Firi ferry crossing with Iran, as a measure to stop the spread of the coronavirus from the Islamic Republic, Al-Bayan news agency reported on February 27. Several of Iran’s neighbours have closed their borders to the country as the death toll from the coronavirus infection continuous to mount. Several hundred people are now suspected of carrying the deadly virus, with many now being sent home to die.
The Federal Authority for Land and Maritime Transport said it had announced the suspension of "Al-Firi" passenger transport services with the Islamic Republic of Iran until further notice.
The authority obliges all commercial ships coming to the emirate to provide a statement on the health status of seafarers 72 hours before their arrival, to monitor suspicious cases between seafarers and local port staff.
Abu Dhabi’s Health Ministry reported six new cases of the Covid-19 virus from people including Iranians, Chinese and one Bahraini, the government announced on February 23.
This brings the total number of persons diagnosed with coronavirus in the UAE to 19 cases. It added the newly infected persons had come from Iran before the suspension of flights to Tehran and Shiraz.
Unconfirmed reports said the UAE had several deaths from travellers with the virus; however, these have all been denied by authorities.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi, two of the busiest airports in the Persian Gulf region, remain open but with increased checks on those flying to the country or connecting.
42​ IRAN Country Report​ March 2020 www.intellinews.com