Infrastructure & Transport
Tehran international flights fall 42% after US ban
International flights to and from Tehran's main airport have fallen 42 percent since a US ban on Iranian airlines took effect, according to FlightRadar24 tracking data up to Wednesday.
An average of 53 daily international flights have operated to and from Imam Khomeini International Airport since September 23, compared with an average of 91 before the ban, the data showed.
The sanctions have disrupted travel out of Iran, leaving passengers facing short-notice cancellations, land journeys and uncertainty over which routes remain open.
Flights have stopped to Georgia, Oman and Azerbaijan, which normally have regular services to Tehran, according to the tracking data. Three flights in each direction operated between Tehran and Dubai on September 23, but none have operated since. The United Arab Emirates has said it is enforcing the US ban.
No flights have taken off between Iraq and Tehran since September 25. Iraq's transport ministry said Tuesday that the US had given permission for its national carrier to operate flights between Najaf and Iran, with services set to start in October.
Some major routes remain open. Flights to and from China stayed at an average of eight a day, while flights between Turkey and Tehran, the busiest route from Imam Khomeini airport, fell by 19 percent. Passengers told AFP earlier this week that travel between Iran and Turkey had still been heavily disrupted.
Mahan Air, one of Iran's main airlines, has not operated flights to Turkey since September 20. Some airlines, including Caspian Airlines, increased flights between Tehran and Turkey after the ban took effect.
Flights have also continued to Armenia, Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Thailand, Tajikistan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Qatar, in order of flight frequency.
Traffic had already fallen after Israeli-American strikes on Iran at the end of February led to the complete closure of Iranian airspace. Since flights resumed, only Iranian carriers operated services out of Iran.
Update ·
FlightRadar24 data showed average daily international flights to and from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport fell 42 percent after the US ban took effect on September 23.
The average fell to 53 daily international flights from 91 before the ban, according to the tracking data.
The data showed flights stopped to Georgia, Oman and Azerbaijan, while no Tehran-Dubai flights operated after September 23.
Flights to and from China stayed at an average of eight per day, while Turkey-Tehran flights fell by 19 percent.
Iraq's transport ministry said the US had given permission for Iraq's national carrier to operate flights between Najaf and Iran, with flights set to start in October.
Source note: AFP news report published on 1 October 2026 at 11:27:57 UTC.
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.
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.
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 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
The FlightRadar24 analysis may have excluded some flights that could not be reliably tracked, including flights with unavailable transponder signals or unclear departure or landing times.
Source
AFP news report published on .