Tehran airports extend hours as postwar flights rebound
The two main airports in the capital Tehran, Mehrabad and Imam Khomeini, extended their operating hours as air traffic continues to recover following a suspension of international flights during the US-Israeli war against the country in late February.
Majid Akhavan, spokesperson for Iran's Civil Aviation Organization, said the country’s main domestic and international gateways — Mehrabad Airport and Imam Khomeini International Airport — will now operate from 4:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m local time.
With the expanded schedule, flight delays "will decrease," Akhavan said.
International flights departing from Iran, which were halted after the start of the US-Israeli aggression against Iran in late February, resumed in late April. During the conflict, US and Israeli forces carried out airstrikes targeting several Iranian airports and aircraft.
At Imam Khomeini International Airport, flight operations have risen sharply. Ramin Kashf-Azar, CEO of Imam Khomeini Airport City Company, told state news agency IRNA on Tuesday that the airport began operations on April 25 with 10 daily takeoffs and landings, a figure that has since climbed to more than 40 per day.
Kashf-Azar said that with restrictions lifted and 24-hour operations restored, the airport "will definitely return to desirable and stable conditions."
"Currently, flights from Imam Khomeini Airport are operating to destinations including Armenia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Iraq, Turkey (on two routes: Ankara and Istanbul), Muscat, New Delhi, Moscow, Baku, Kabul, Islamabad, Bangkok, China (to five destinations), and also Medina," he said.
Between April 25 and May 17, the airport handled 42,590 inbound passengers and 49,586 outbound passengers, he said. A total of 839 flights operated during that period, including 808 passenger flights and 31 cargo flights.
The increase in daily movements, passenger traffic, and route diversity signals a gradual return to normal operations for Imam Khomeini Airport and a strengthening of its role in Iran's air transport network.