International flights to and from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport have decreased by 42% following a US ban on Iranian airlines, according to data from FlightRadar24. Since the ban took effect on September 23, the average number of daily international flights has dropped from 91 to 53.
The decline in air traffic follows a previous reduction in flights due to Israeli-American strikes on Iran, which led to the closure of its airspace earlier this year. Since the resumption of flights, only Iranian carriers have been operating services out of Iran.
Prior to the ban, Tehran had connections to 18 countries, but services to Georgia, Oman, and Azerbaijan have ceased entirely. Additionally, flights between Tehran and Dubai, which previously operated three times daily, have been suspended, with the United Arab Emirates enforcing the US ban.
Flights between Iraq and Tehran have also been halted since September 25. However, Iraq’s transport ministry announced that the US has granted permission for its national carrier to resume flights between Najaf and Iran, with operations expected to start in October.
Despite the overall drop in flights, some routes remain active. Flights to and from China have remained stable at an average of eight per day, while the route between Turkiye and Tehran has seen only a 19% reduction in flights. However, passengers have reported significant disruptions in air traffic between Iran and Turkiye, with Mahan Air, a major Iranian airline, halting its services to Turkiye since September 20.
Conversely, some airlines have increased their flights between Tehran and Turkiye since the ban was implemented, including Caspian Airlines. Other countries maintaining flight operations include Armenia, Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Thailand, Tajikistan, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Qatar, listed in order of flight frequency.
It is important to note that the analysis may not account for all flights, particularly those that could not be reliably tracked due to unavailable transponder signals or unconfirmed departure and landing times.
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