Turkish Airlines announced on Saturday that it will resume flights to Iran beginning Monday, June 30, following a temporary suspension earlier this month prompted by escalating regional tensions and security concerns.

The national flag carrier’s CEO, Bilal Eksi, confirmed the resumption in a social media post, stating, “We are restarting our Mashhad flights on Monday, June 30.” The decision marks Turkish Airlines’ first scheduled flight to Iran since Türkiye suspended all routes on June 13 amid Israeli airstrikes on Iranian territory.

The return to operations follows a ceasefire agreement between Iran and Israel, which has helped ease immediate security threats in the region and facilitated a phased reopening of air travel.

Iran has since reopened large portions of its airspace to international overflights. According to Majid Akhavan, spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, the country’s eastern, central, and western airspace is now accessible for overflight operations. However, passenger flights remain suspended in key regions, including Tehran, with airports such as Mehrabad and Imam Khomeini still closed to both domestic and international travel.

Authorities have urged travelers to avoid restricted airports and to monitor official channels for updates.

Iran had imposed a full closure of its airspace on June 13 in response to a series of Israeli airstrikes and subsequent retaliatory missile attacks. The shutdown disrupted all air traffic, including overflights. The gradual reopening began earlier this week, starting with eastern Iran, and has since extended to limited air traffic in other regions.

Mashhad Airport in eastern Iran — one of the areas reportedly affected by the hostilities — has resumed operations, as has Chabahar Airport in the southeast. Major hubs, including Tehran, remain closed.

Türkiye’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu confirmed on Friday that commercial flights between Istanbul and Mashhad have resumed after a two-week suspension. He noted, however, that airspace over western Iran is still closed and efforts continue to repatriate 11 Turkish aircraft stranded in Iran and Iraq.

The restoration of flight routes comes as part of broader regional stabilization efforts following weeks of heightened conflict. (ILKHA)