Imam Khomeini airport seeks new routes to southeast Asia
Imam Khomeini International Airport is preparing to negotiate with airlines from Southeast Asia to establish new routes, the airport’s acting head, Ramin Kashef-Azar, said. Kashef-Azar said in an interview with ISNA that the airport has formed a flight network development committee within its airport city and has made outreach to various airlines a core institutional priority. “We have planned to communicate with different airlines and institutionalize this as the airport’s primary duty,” he said.
He noted that Austrian Airlines is already operating flights to Tehran, currently running four times a week — a service that began several months ago. In addition, extensive follow-ups have been conducted to restore Lufthansa services, which are now confirmed to resume on January 16 with a Tehran-Frankfurt-Tehran route operating six days a week.
“Lufthansa is one of Europe’s leading carriers, and its return indicates that many of the obstacles and restrictions that previously caused concern for the airline have now been resolved,” Kashef-Azar said. He added that Lufthansa officials have reviewed airport procedures multiple times and, after their assessments, announced their intent to restart operations.
The airport’s top operational priority remains expanding its flight network. Kashef-Azar said efforts are also underway to ensure Iranian carriers gain access to European destinations alongside the return of foreign airlines. “We are actively engaging with new and emerging airlines to expand their presence in the country, and encouraging signs of progress are already evident,” he added. Currently, approximately 26 foreign airlines operate flights to Imam Khomeini International Airport.