CAO reopens Ahvaz, Mahshahr airports after postwar safety checks
Flights at Ahvaz and Mahshahr airports in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan Province have resumed after approval from the Civil Aviation Organization (CAO), with flight numbers set to gradually increase in the coming days, Khuzestan Airports Director General Mehdi Razaz said on Saturday, according to ISNA.
“With the approval of the Civil Aviation Organization, flights at Ahvaz and Mahshahr airports resumed operations with four flights, and based on the plans made, the number of flights will gradually increase,” Razaz said.
He said the first Tehran-Ahvaz flight had successfully landed earlier on Saturday at Ahvaz international airport, and that a flight from Mashhad was also scheduled to arrive later in the day.
“Necessary permits for other flights and the arrangement of their traffic conditions will gradually be issued and announced by the Civil Aviation Organization,” he added.
“In line with the organization’s broader plans to revive and develop the country’s aviation industry after the war, and given changing conditions and improvements in infrastructure, Ahvaz and Mahshahr airports have reopened after security and safety evaluations and in full coordination with relevant authorities,” IRNA quoted the CAO as saying.
The reopening marks a significant step toward restoring air links and facilitating passenger travel in the region. A number of airports in central, western and eastern parts of the country have already returned to operation, while many domestic and international flights operated by Iranian airlines are currently underway.
Seven Iranian airports were targeted during the 40-day US-Israeli war, with attacks focusing more on tourism, passenger and cargo infrastructure than on military facilities.
Iran Air, the national carrier of the Islamic Republic of Iran, resumed domestic flights on April 25 after a 55-day suspension, with its first service operating between Tehran and Mashhad.
International flights also resumed in late April, beginning with an Iran Air Hajj flight to Medina, with services to three destinations on the first day.
Iranian authorities said additional airports across the country would gradually return to operation following further security and safety assessments.