A fragile ceasefire allowed the first commercial flights to leave Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport on Saturday, restarting services that had been suspended for 56 days after attacks on Feb. 28. State media and Iran Air said services to Istanbul, Muscat and Saudi Arabia’s Medina took off, and Iran Air resumed a Tehran–Mashhad route. Authorities said provincial airports will be used for domestic and transit traffic while talks continue to restore wider routes, easing pressure on repatriation as Europe weighs emergency fuel measures.

What restarted and where

Commercial flights left Tehran on Saturday, marking the first scheduled airline services from the capital since strikes in late February shut down much of the region's airspace. State-run television and the country’s news agency IRNA reported the following services departed:

  • Flights to Istanbul, Muscat and the Saudi city of Medina, per state media.
  • An inaugural Tehran–Mashhad service operated by Iran Air after a 56‑day break, per IRNA and Iran Air posts.
  • IRNA said more services are planned to Baku, Najaf, Baghdad and Doha in the coming days.

Mohammad Amirani, CEO of the Iran Airports and Air Navigation Company, said Iran will prioritize the country’s eastern provinces — the areas bordering Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan — for domestic and transit flights.

How airports will be used

Authorities intend to route traffic through a network of provincial airports to re-establish internal connections and handle redirected services. IRNA listed several nodes that will act as hubs:

  • Mashhad
  • Zahedan
  • Kerman
  • Yazd
  • Birjand

Officials have opened consultations with foreign carriers to clarify routes and try to re-attract transit traffic after weeks of near‑shutdown. Those steps are taking place against a fragile ceasefire while diplomatic efforts continue, including reported talks between Tehran and Washington held in Pakistan aimed at further de‑escalation.

Regional ripple effects

  • Large swathes of Middle East airspace were closed, forcing airlines to reroute or ground services and leaving tens of thousands of travellers scrambling to get home; dozens of countries organised chartered repatriation flights.
  • Qatar and the United Arab Emirates partially reopened airspace within days of the attacks and have gradually expanded schedules since.
  • Continuing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has heightened concerns about fuel supplies; European officials are weighing emergency options such as buying jet fuel from alternate suppliers and imposing minimum reserve quotas.
  • Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, warned this month that Europe may have roughly six weeks of jet fuel left at current consumption rates without a change in supplies.

Airlines and the economics of fuel

  • Airlines face pressure from higher oil and refined fuel costs and from longer flight times when routes avoid contested airspace; both factors raise operating costs.
  • Rising fuel bills reduce margins and force carriers to rethink schedules; insurance and routing conditions also affect whether restored routes relieve pressure on transit-dependent carriers.
  • German aviation group Lufthansa said it would cut about 20,000 short‑haul flights through to October in response to rising prices and jet fuel concerns.

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The International Energy Agency warned Europe may have roughly six weeks of jet fuel left at current consumption rates; Lufthansa has announced plans to cut about 20,000 short‑haul flights through October.

This article was created with AI assistance.