British Airways resume direct flights to Iran

BA have resumed direct flights to Tehran following the lifting of sanctions on Iran. Picture: PA

The service was suspended in October 2012 amid instability in the Middle Eastern country.

Six return flights per week will operate between London Heathrow and Tehran, rising to a daily service later this year.

BA 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 after the international nuclear watchdog said the Tehran government had met all its obligations under a deal with six world powers.

The then-foreign secretary Philip Hammond said at the time that British firms should take advantage of the new opportunities that would open as Iran was brought in from the cold.

In August last year the British embassy in Tehran reopened after it was ransacked by a mob in 2011.

The first BA flight to Iran, a Boeing 777, will depart from Heathrow on Thursday at 9.10pm.

Flights were initially due to resume in July but there was a delay in establishing the route.

A BA spokeswoman said: “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.

“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.”

Air France resumed Paris-Tehran flights in April for the first time in eight years.

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