Esfahan to Tabriz, Iran

29 - 30 May 2008

Haggling with handling agents

Everything went like clockwork at departure. They had even reduced the steep landing and parking fees to the domestic rates, so we only had to pay US$ 137 for landing, navigation and parking fees for three days. Due to dust haze, the visibility at Esfahan was only 2000 meters. The climb was slow to FL160, the minimum IFR altitude and even up there we were below the top of the haze layer. The wind aloft was forecast to be 15 knots from the west, but the actual wind was more like 30 knots, which slowed us down a lot and created large variations of airspeed and even a 800 foot loss of altitude in the class C airspace of Teheran. The temperature was close to freezing and as the tops of the scattered clouds were above our level, we worried about icing for the first time since we left Cape Town three months ago. After Teheran the clouds dissipated, and we had a smooth ride until we descended for our approach into Tabriz.
Upon arrival, we were greeted by a friendly well-dressed gentleman, who we feared was a greedy handling agent. He assured us in perfect English that he was working for the airport. Soon the fuel truck came, and we filled up with 322 litres of cheap Iranian Avgas. However, our suspicions were well founded. When it came to paying the fuel company, the friendly gentleman said we could not pay the fuel company directly in dollars, but had to pay the US$ 515 to him and he signed a payment slip for the fuel company. He then admitted that he was working for Safiran (a private handling company) and not for the airport. We told him in clear terms that we did not need an expensive handling agent and that we had not used one in either Shiraz or Esfahan. After an hour of arguments and haggling we finally agreed to pay US$ 180 instead of the US$ 300 they originally asked for.
The handling agent Mr. Balalian drove us to a hotel in the centre of town, and then we set off on foot for the bazaar. At the entrance, the man from the tourist office came running to meet us. He invited us for a cup of tea and a chat in his office. His name is Nasser Khan and the Lonely Planet guide recommends him and his brother for running the best tourist office in Iran.
We told him we were leaving tomorrow, and he suggested taking a taxi to Kandovan and negotiated a very reasonable price of US$ 22 for the 3-hour trip including an hour's wait. Kandovan is a mountain village 50 km southwest of Tabriz, built around and inside volcanic rock formations. We feared for our lives during the taxi ride as the taxi driver's style was similar to that of many other taxi rides we have suffered in Iran. But the early evening light was just right and the mountain air was clear.