IRAN – Iran has resumed commercial flights from the capital, Tehran, for the first time since attacks by the United States and Israel two months ago. Iran’s state television reported that flights to Istanbul, Muscat and the Saudi Arabian city of Medina departed from Imam Khomeini International Airport on Saturday.
The state-owned carrier Iran Air operated its first post-hiatus flight from Tehran to Mashhad after a 56-day suspension, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported via Telegram, adding that additional flights are planned to Baku, Najaf, Baghdad and Doha in the coming days.
Mohammad Amirani, CEO of the Iran Airports and Air Navigation Company, said the country’s eastern region—bordering Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan—will be prioritised for domestic and transit flights.
Provincial airports, including Mashhad, Zahedan, Kerman, Yazd and Birjand, are expected to serve as hubs for directing air traffic, IRNA said. Authorities added that consultations with foreign airlines have begun to clarify routes and attract transit flights as a fragile ceasefire with the United States holds, while efforts for further talks between Tehran and Washington continue in Pakistan.
The US–Israel conflict with Iran disrupted international air travel for weeks, forcing much of the Middle East’s airspace to shut down and leaving tens of thousands of travellers stranded. Even as dozens of countries organised charter flights to repatriate citizens, efforts were hampered by the near-total shutdown of commercial aviation in one of the world’s busiest air travel regions.
Countries including Qatar and the United Arab Emirates partially reopened their airspace days after attacks began on February 28, with flight schedules gradually expanding in the following weeks.
Meanwhile, the ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has raised concerns about a growing jet fuel crisis. The European Union is considering jet fuel imports from the United States, along with new minimum reserve requirements, amid a looming supply shortage.
Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency, warned earlier this month that Europe has “maybe six weeks or so [of] jet fuel left” and that flight cancellations could begin “soon” without new supply arrangements.
German aviation company Lufthansa Group said on Thursday it would cut 20,000 short-haul flights through October amid rising oil prices and concerns over fuel shortages. (Aljazeera)
