A statue of Leonardo da Vinci near the Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino airport, near Rome. (File photo: AFP)
TEHRAN, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Mahan Air will suspend flights to Italy in December as Italy has announced bans on the airline under pressure of the United States, Head of the Association of Iranian Airlines (AIA) Masoud Assadi Salmani said on Sunday.
Mahan Air's flights to the Italian cities of Rome and Milan will continue until Dec. 21, Assadi Salmani said, according to Iran's state IRIB TV.
Italy's decision to ban Mahan Air was clearly influenced by the U.S. pressure, he said, adding that the move came as a part of broader U.S. sanctions targeting Iran's aviation industry.
On Saturday, Italy's air authority ENAC said that Mahan Air flights to Rome and Milan will stop altogether in December.
In December last year, two European countries of Germany and France had imposed a ban on Mahan Air flights.
