Flag carrier Iran Air resumes Karachi flights from Tehran, Mashhad
Iran’s national flag carrier, Iran Air, has resumed flights to Karachi from Tehran and Mashhad, with one weekly flight from each city under a new schedule, the airline’s deputy for commercial affairs and branch operations said.
Mahmoud Ansari said the first Mashhad-Karachi-Mashhad flight after a suspension operated on Tuesday, with the return flight landing at Mashhad airport early Wednesday. The route will operate every Tuesday, while the Tehran-Karachi-Tehran route will operate every Monday, he said.
With the resumption of Karachi flights from Tehran and Mashhad, the route has been added to Iran Air’s international flight schedule, Ansari said.
Iran Air currently also operates international flights between Tehran and Istanbul, Mashhad and Istanbul, Tehran and Najaf, and Isfahan and Najaf, he added.
Iraq had previously closed Baghdad and Najaf airports to Iranian airlines following a new wave of US sanctions on Iran’s aviation sector.
Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization chief Abouzar Shiroudi on Monday said, “Extensive diplomatic measures were taken, consultations were held, and eventually they led to the resumption of flights.” He added that talks were also under way with Oman and Azerbaijan.
Iraq’s national carrier had said on Monday that it would resume direct flights to Iran from Thursday, with daily flights from Najaf to Tehran, Mashhad and Isfahan.
Iraq’s Transport Ministry said the decision by Iraqi Airways’ management would restore direct flights by the country’s national fleet to Iran. Under the new schedule, daily and regular flights would operate from Najaf International Airport to airports in Tehran, Mashhad and Isfahan, the ministry said. The ministry said the program was aimed at facilitating passenger travel and providing regular air transport options between Iraq and Iranian cities.
It said the resumption of direct flights to Iran was part of Baghdad’s efforts to reactivate air traffic and strengthen Iraq’s air links with countries in the region.
Last week, the Iraqi prime minister’s office said that, following a series of contacts and follow-ups by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi with relevant parties, an agreement had been reached allowing Iranian airlines, except Mahan Air, to operate 40 daily flights to and from Najaf International Airport.
Zaidi stressed that air travel was not merely movement between two airports but a bridge connecting peoples, noting that passengers include patients awaiting medical treatment, pilgrims traveling to holy sites and families seeking to reunite more easily. He also highlighted the importance of such travel for tourism, the economy and social ties.
The prime minister’s office said Zaidi would continue following up on cases directly affecting citizens and pilgrims and would work with all relevant parties to remove obstacles to transport and flights, serve Iraq’s interests, protect passengers’ interests and strengthen cooperation and human ties.
Iraq joined several countries, including the United Arab Emirates, in enforcing US restrictions on Iranian airlines after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Iranian airlines would be “shut down” from Sept. 16.
The head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization has filed a formal complaint with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) over the restrictions and was pursuing diplomatic efforts to restore suspended flight routes.
According to Shiroudi, Iran has sent letters to countries where flights had been suspended, seeking explanations for the cancellations. Preventing flights amounted to a violation of bilateral agreements under which countries allow each other’s airlines to use their airports, he said.