Iran resumes international flights after a 20-day suspension

A plane approaches Mehrabad airport as rays of sunlight shine through clouds over the capital Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport has welcomed its first foreign flight since the resumption of international air travel after a 20-day suspension, local media reported Friday.

According to Student News Network, Mehdi Ramezani, spokesperson for Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization, confirmed the Flydubai flight from the United Arab Emirates landed on Wednesday, after extensive security and diplomatic coordination.

The landing marks a “new phase of stability” for Iran’s aviation sector, Ramezani said, after recent tensions with Israel. He added that it represented a return to calm and intelligent management of the nation’s airspace.

International flights will gradually resume to specific destinations in coordination with authorities, to meet public needs and restore air links, he said.

Iran and Israel agreed to a ceasefire last month after a bloody 12-day conflict that saw Israel striking hundreds of Iranian military infrastructure targets and nuclear-related sites, and Iran firing missiles at Israel in return. The truce was brokered by the U.S. after it dropped 30,000-pound “bunker-busting” bombs on three of Iran’s key nuclear sites.

The Associated Press