Tehran airport says foreign airlines set for return ‘in coming weeks’
A senior official with Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport City announced on Tuesday that foreign airlines have begun the process of returning to the Iranian market “in the coming weeks.”
Javad Salehi Artimani, deputy for airport operations at the Imam Khomeini International Airport City Company, said the airport was ready to handle all scheduled and extra flights after maintaining operational readiness during a period of flight restrictions.
“With the completion of the audits and evaluations required by foreign airlines in line with national and international standards, we will witness the gradual return of foreign carriers and an increase in the number of international flights in the coming weeks,” he said.
Salehi Artimani said that throughout the period of flight restrictions, airport infrastructure, equipment and operational personnel remained fully prepared while planning was carried out to ensure the rapid and safe resumption of services, he added.
Iran’s airspace gradually reopened after a ceasefire was reached between Washington and Tehran on April 8, ending a 40-day conflict launched by the US-Israeli coalition in late February.
Last month, Imam Khomeini International Airport City Chief Executive Ramin Kashef-Azar said foreign airlines were in talks to resume flights to Iran and had announced their readiness to return to the market. He said negotiations were underway as conditions stabilized following the conflict.
Iran Air European routes
Separately, Iranian lawmaker Mohammadreza Rezaei Kouchi told ILNA on Saturday that, after about a year of legal follow-up and continuous negotiations, Iran Air would once again operate flights to European destinations.
He said European routes for Iran Air would gradually become operational and described the development as the result of what he called Iran’s display of military strength in recent months, as well as continued negotiations and dialogue with the other parties.
The European Union imposed sanctions in October 2024 on seven individuals and seven entities, including Iran Air, Saha Airlines and Mahan Air over their alleged links to Iranian transfers of ballistic missiles to Russia.
According to Tasnim, Iran Air Chief Executive Taher Abdolahi said last week that the efforts to resume flights to European destinations were ongoing.
However, there has been no official announcement from the EU indicating that the sanctions have been lifted. Instead, the Council of the European Union has decided to extend EU sanctions in response to alleged human rights violations in Iran until April 13, 2027.
Rezaei Kouchi also said two Airbus A330 aircraft had returned to the Iran Air fleet after financial issues were resolved. He said the aircraft had previously been taken back from the airline and were returned after those financial problems were settled.