Iran Air seals deal with Italian airport operator AIRiminum

AIRiminum, the company that operates Italy’s Federico Fellini International Airport, said it has signed a deal with Iran's flag carrier airline, Iran Air.

The deal will ensure three flights per week connecting the Iranian capital and the seaside city of Rimini, according to Press TV.

The move is in line with efforts to revamp the airport named after the great Italian film director Federico Fellini, who was born in Rimini in 1920.

Rimini has been for over 20 years the main gateway to Italy for tourists from Russia. The idea now is to replicate this successful model in Iran and possibly link it to other Italian localities in Sicily.

The deal between the airport of Rimini and Iran Air covers the whole year even though Iran's flag carrier has scheduled flights to Rimini only until the end of October. Iran Air currently operates a weekly flight to Italy's northern city of Milan.

The airline has not been operating Tehran-Rome flights since October 2018 when it was replaced for that specific route by Mahan Air. The Italian government ceased all flights into Italy by Mahan Air from mid-December 2019 under US pressure.

The deal between AIRiminum and Iran Air has the potential to become strategic for Italian companies exporting products to Iran.