The bankrupt Armenian airline Atlantis European Airways has begun flights in Iran with one of the three previously operated aircraft.
It is worth noting that Atlantis was declared bankrupt in September 2020 at the request of Unibank, which, according to widespread rumors among aviators, was the actual owner of the airline, although the formal owner was Yerevan resident Karen Bdoyan.
The bankrupt airline's fleet included three Airbus A320 aircraft, registered in Armenia as EK-32002, EK-32003, and EK-32008. Three years after the bankruptcy, in November 2023, these aircraft were removed from the Armenian aircraft registry.
Thus, EK-32002 was registered in Armenia from 2003 to 2005 (at that time it had a different registration - EK-32007) and was operated by Armavia. From 2017 to 2023, the aircraft was registered under Atlantis European Airways.
EK-32003 was registered under Atlantis from 2018 to 2023.
Meanwhile, EK-32008 was one of the veterans of Armenian aviation. It was in the Armenian registry from 2003 to 2023. From 2003 to 2013, it was part of Armavia's fleet and later entered Atlantis's fleet.
EK-32002 and EK-32008 last flew in the fall of 2020, while EK-32003 flew even earlier. Until November 2023, these three aircraft were not in operation and were parked at Zvartnots, but they remained in the Armenian aircraft registry.
Atlantis was their operating company, but the owners were other companies, which Hetq has reported on at various times. Accordingly, EK-32002 was owned by the Cypriot Arolova Enterprises Limited, EK-32003 by the Belize-registered Gratsyn Enterprises Corp., and EK-32008 by the Armenian Unibank.
After being removed from the Armenian registry, the aircraft continued to remain at Zvartnots. Two years after deregistration, in 2025, they appeared in Iran.
We had reported that before being exported from Armenia, the aircraft were registered in the registry of the Comoros Islands in the Indian Ocean and then transferred to Iran.
Upon arrival in Iran, the aircraft may either become spare parts for an Iranian airline or resume flight operations.
Thus, according to aviation sources, EK-32008, which received the registration D6-LAE in the Comoros before heading to Iran, is already conducting flights.
Therefore, the former aircraft of Atlantis have become a desirable target for the Iranian aviation market.
