Kish Island, Armenia eye direct flights to deepen tourism, trade ties
Iranian island Kish and Armenia are in talks to launch a direct air link between Yerevan and the Persian Gulf tourism hub, officials said on Wednesday, after senior representatives from both sides met during the KishInvex2025 exhibition. Mohammad Kabiri, managing director of the Kish Free Trade Zone Organization, and Grigor Hakobyan, Armenia’s ambassador to Tehran, discussed plans to strengthen tourism and commercial cooperation, including potential cargo routes from Yerevan to the Persian Gulf through Kish, IRNA reported. Kabiri said the two sides had held “constructive talks” focused primarily on opening a regular passenger service between Yerevan and Kish, a move he described as a “serious step” that would require formal approvals.
“Both sides expressed firm willingness to move it forward,” he said, adding that tourism and trade were the two key pillars of the developing partnership
He noted that Kish, a duty-free resort island off southern Iran, aims to position itself as a gateway for regional economic and cultural exchange. “The main purpose of inviting foreign envoys to Kish is to showcase the island’s remarkable potential,” Kabiri told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting.
Hakobyan welcomed the initiative, calling Kish “a promising destination with vast facilities” and said he saw strong prospects for cooperation.
The Armenian envoy proposed sending a delegation of tourism professionals and social media influencers to Kish to get a first-hand look at its attractions and business environment.