British Airways has resumed direct flights to Iran after a hiatus of four years in what is seen as a yet another sign of warming ties between the Islamic Republic and Western countries after the removal of the sanctions.
The airline's first plane to Iran, a Boeing 777, arrivad in Tehran on Thursday.
British Airways plans to operate six roundtrip flights a week between Heathrow and Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport. A daily service will start later this year.
The flagship British carrier has described the Iranian capital as “an important destination” for the airline.
The resumption of flights on Thursday follows the lifting of some sanctions against Iran in January. The sanctions were removed after a deal that Iran had reached with the P5+1 group of countries – the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany – came into effect.
British Airways flights were initially due to resume in July but there was a delay in establishing the route.
“The Iranians have been extremely helpful in setting up this important new route and have been as keen as we are for the service to start,” the Guardian has quoted a unnamed BA official as saying.
“Tehran is an important destination for British Airways and we wanted to ensure that the service we offered met the highest standards our customers rightly expect of us from day one.”
Also, Sean Doyle, British Airways' head of network and fleet, has been quoted by Al-Jazeera as saying that the recent lifting of sanctions has effectively allowed Iran to reopen for business and paved the way for commerce to reconnect with Iran's economy.
Air France resumed Paris-Tehran flights in April after an eight-year break.