The national flag carrier Iran Air has resumed its flights between Tehran and Istanbul after they were suspended on 26 February due to the outbreak of the coronavirus and closure of borders between Iran and Turkey.
The resumption of flights came after Iran Air obtained a permit from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation of Turkey.
The first flight left Imam Khomeini International Airport today at 09:25 am Tehran local time and will return the same day at 12:40 pm local time. The airline operated biweekly flights on Mondays and Fridays.
Two other Iranian airlines, Meraj Airlines and Iran Airtour, operate weekly Istanbul-Tabriz-Istanbul flights.
Only Turkish citizens and those who hold work visas are allowed to travel to Turkey, Reza Jafarzadeh, the spokesperson of Iran Civil Aviation Organization said.
Turkish Airlines, the national flag carrier airline of Turkey, has also started selling tickets for the Tehran-Istanbul route as of July 16.