Iran resumes int’l flights to Istanbul, Medina, Muscat after war hiatus
Iran launched its first international flights on Saturday following a 56-day war and ceasefire, with services departing for Istanbul, Medina and Muscat, as authorities began a phased reopening of the country’s airspace.
Four flights to Istanbul in Turkey, one flight to Medina in Saudi Arabia for (Hajj pilgrimage), and one flight to Muscat in Oman were operated on Saturday.
Iran Air, Iran Airtour, Mahan and Meraj airlines operated flights from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport to Istanbul, while Sepehran Airlines flew to Muscat.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Airlines said its first international flight on Saturday departed Imam Khomeini International Airport for Medina, marking the launch of its second international route in the new Iranian year that began on March 21.
The carrier said that flights on the Istanbul route will operate daily until May 1, adding that the service resumed after obtaining the necessary permits from the Civil Aviation Organization. Additional routes, including Baku, Doha, Najaf and Baghdad, are also planned.
The airline also operated its first scheduled passenger flight on the Tehran-Mashhad-Tehran route on Saturday after the 56-day suspension caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran that began in late February.
With the gradual reopening of the country’s airspace and the resumption of flights, the Iran Airlines has restarted scheduled services on the route from Saturday, IRNA reported. It added that the airline’s first passenger flight in the new year took place on Wednesday on the Tehran-Mashhad route.
Separately, Airports Company CEO Mohammad Amirani said that, under operational planning, the eastern parts of the country have been prioritized for domestic and overflight operations starting Saturday. Provincial airports including Mashhad, Zahedan, Kerman, Yazd and Birjand will serve as key hubs for managing air traffic, with full navigation services available.
Amirani said airports in western and central regions — including Tabriz, Kermanshah, Ahvaz, Urmia, Ilam, Abadan, Isfahan, Shiraz and Rasht, as well as Tehran’s Mehrabad airport — will resume operations with specific limits on flight numbers and operating hours, in line with current technical capacity and to ensure the highest level of safety in air traffic control.