As many as 74,111 passengers traveled between Tehran and Istanbul from October 15-29, IRNA reported Chalandari as saying on Saturday.
After the sanctions, only 10 Iranian airlines flew to or from Istanbul, he said.
To meet the needs of Iranians, flights to Istanbul and Dubai were put on the agenda through coordination with the relevant authorities, he said.
Regarding other destinations, 171,148 Iranian passengers were transported by 1,130 flights after the sanctions, he noted.
The sanctions have caused financial and time losses for Iranians intending to travel to Europe and vice versa, resulting in the need for two flights to travel to Europe instead of one direct flight, he further noted.
Iran’s Human Rights Secretary has condemned the EU’s recent sanctions on three Iranian passenger airlines, calling them a violation of international law and an infringement on Iranian citizens’ rights.
MNA/