Infrastructure & Transport
Iran flights hit by US sanctions leave travellers stranded
New US sanctions on Iran's aviation industry have disrupted flights out of the country, leaving travellers facing short-notice cancellations, land journeys and uncertainty over which routes remain open.
Passengers who booked flights from Iran to destinations including the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Oman and Turkey have faced cancellations after Washington tightened aviation restrictions last week.
The United Arab Emirates has suspended all flights operated by Iranian airlines to and from the country until further notice, its General Civil Aviation Authority said earlier. Georgia and Azerbaijan have also officially confirmed suspending flights.
A travel agent in Tehran told AFP that flights to Baghdad, Muscat and Qatar were also halted. Routes remain available to Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Russia, Malaysia and Thailand, according to the latest source item.
At Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport, an AFP journalist described travellers crowding a ticket counter for answers after a Dubai flight was cancelled, while others tried to retrieve luggage. Some passengers said flight permissions had been withdrawn less than an hour before takeoff.
Iranian authorities said one flight to Dushanbe, Tajikistan, was forced to turn around last week after Turkmenistan refused to let it cross its airspace.
Some travellers are now trying to leave by land. Mitra, a 49-year-old woman using a pseudonym for fear of retribution by authorities, said she and her brother planned to travel from Iran to Turkey by road after flights through Istanbul were suspended.
Turkey and Oman have halted incoming flights from private carrier Mahan Air, according to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Some flights to Istanbul are still operating, but passengers described fewer seats and a high risk of cancellations.
Bessent announced the latest US measures last week in what he described as a bid to choke Iran's economy during the Middle East war. Iran's aviation sector had already been under sanctions for years.
Update
Passengers trying to leave Iran have faced short-notice cancellations and some are travelling by land to Turkey.
An AFP journalist described chaos at Tehran's international airport after a Dubai flight cancellation.
Iranian authorities said one flight to Dushanbe turned around mid-air after Turkmenistan refused airspace access.
The source item says routes remain available to Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Russia, Malaysia and Thailand.
Source note: AFP news report published on 28 September 2026 at 16:33:42 UTC.
Update
The UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority officially confirmed the suspension of all flights operated by Iranian airlines to and from the UAE.
The suspension took effect on Thursday, September 24, and is until further notice.
The UAE said the move was based on US sanctions on Iranian airlines preventing them from using airports around the world.
Source note: AFP news report published on 24 September 2026 at 15:23:08 UTC.
Update
Iranian media said the United Arab Emirates suspended flights operated by Iranian airlines to comply with US sanctions.
ISNA said all flights by Iranian airlines to the UAE had been cancelled since midnight.
A passenger told AFP that an Iran Airtour flight from Tehran to Dubai was cancelled shortly before its scheduled departure after tickets had been issued.
Source note: AFP news report published on 24 September 2026 at 10:06:11 UTC.
Update
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Fox News that “probably more than 80 or 90 percent” of external flights from Iran had been shut down.
Bessent questioned how Iranian representatives at the UN would get home.
Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian said at the UN that Iranian resistance would intensify in the face of US sanctions and pressure.
Source note: AFP news report published on 24 September 2026 at 00:23:04 UTC.
Update
Georgia and Azerbaijan officially confirmed suspending flights.
Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran’s supreme national security council, threatened reciprocal action against countries that comply with the US measures.
The source adds that some routes to Istanbul were scheduled while others had been cancelled, according to a Tehran travel agent.
Source note: AFP news report published on 23 September 2026 at 15:44:37 UTC.
Update
Tasnim said its correspondent in Najaf reported that Iranian flights to the city were running as normal and quoted an airport source saying no order had been received to halt flights.
A Mahan Air flight from Kabul was expected to arrive in Tehran.
Source note: AFP news report published on 23 September 2026 at 12:58:19 UTC.
Update
A Tehran travel agent said flights to Baghdad, Muscat, Qatar, Georgia and Azerbaijan had all been suspended.
The travel agent said routes to several other destinations, including China, remained available.
FlightRadar24 showed a Mahan Air flight from Tehran landing in Guangzhou after the sanctions took effect.
A flight to Shanghai was still due to depart Wednesday, according to Tehran's international airport.
Some Istanbul flights were scheduled while others had been cancelled, the Tehran travel agent said.
The travel agent said the situation was unstable and ticket sales had stopped for the time being because of fear of cancellations.
Tehran airport's website showed flights to Turkey, Armenia, Najaf and Dubai were still scheduled on smaller Iranian airlines or other connections.
Iraqi travel agents reported concern among clients and possible switches to land routes.
Source note: AFP news report published on 23 September 2026 at 09:22:52 UTC.
Update
FlightRadar24 data showed Mahan Air flight IRM093 from Tehran landed in Guangzhou at 4:39 pm on Wednesday.
The flight was not listed on the official website of Guangzhou Baiyun airport, which FlightRadar24 showed as the landing site.
Staff at Mahan Air's Shanghai office said they had received no notice of cancelled flights and were still selling tickets for the coming week.
The US Treasury did not provide AFP with clarification on the sanctions warning.
Source note: AFP news report published on 23 September 2026 at 09:05:41 UTC.
Update
Tasnim and ISNA reported that Iranian flights to Baghdad and Muscat would be cancelled as of midnight.
Tasnim cited a civil aviation spokesman as saying Baghdad and Muscat airports would no longer accept Iranian flights.
Tasnim reported talks on redirecting Baghdad-bound flights to Najaf, and ISNA reported talks with Oman were also ongoing.
Source note: AFP news report published on 22 September 2026 at 18:23:22 UTC.
Update
Tasnim reported that Iranian flights to Baghdad and Muscat were cancelled on the eve of US sanctions.
Source note: AFP news report published on 22 September 2026 at 18:14:24 UTC.
Update
Iran Air said it had not received any official instruction from civil aviation authorities in Turkey, Azerbaijan or Iraq to halt or suspend flights to Istanbul, Baku or Najaf.
The statement was carried by Iran's state news agency IRNA a day before US sanctions were due to be tightened against Iran's aviation sector.
Source note: AFP news report published on 22 September 2026 at 11:27:07 UTC.
Update
Two Iraqi sources told AFP that Baghdad would suspend flights by Iranian airlines after the US Treasury announcement.
Georgia barred Iranian carriers from its territory.
Iranian airline Mahan said it suspended service to Turkey at the Turkish government's request.
Bessent said companies providing fuel, landing services or ticket sales to Iranian airlines could be excluded from the dollar system.
Source note: AFP news report published on 21 September 2026 at 16:27:22 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
It remains unclear which other countries will comply with the latest US sanctions.
The source item does not provide a full list of airlines or flights still operating from Iran.
Some travellers fear land borders could close, but the source item does not report that such a closure has been ordered.
Source
AFP news report published on .