TABRIZ – The Islamic Republic of Iran has resumed international flights following a 20-day hiatus due to Israel’s war of aggression, conducting more flights from airports across the country.
Passengers on board an Iranian ATA Airliner were flown from Tabriz, the capital city of East Azarbaijan Province, to Istanbul in Turkey on Saturday.
Ramin Azari, the Director General of East Azarbaijan Airports Company, told IRNA that the flight was carried out after inspectors from the Civil Aviation Organization approved the safety of two runways at Tabriz Shahid Madani International Airport following reconstruction work.
Both runways at the airport had been damaged in the Israeli war of aggression and taken out of service, but they are now fully operational for both domestic and international flights, he said, adding that the repair work was completed earlier on Saturday.
Also the same day, the Islamic Republic of Iran Airlines announced plans to launch direct flights to Dubai from Shiraz, the capital of Fars Province, and Ahvaz, the capital of Khuzestan Province, on July 7 and 9 respectively.
And a day earlier, Imam Khomeini International Airport, located near Tehran, welcomed its first foreign flight as the Flydubai flight from the United Arab Emirates landed there.
Israel attacked Iran in an unprovoked act of aggression on June 13, assassinating top military officials and nuclear scientists in targeted strikes, and killing hundreds of civilians in attacks on residential areas.
The United States joined the war on June 22 when it bombed three major Iranian nuclear sites.
Iran responded powerfully, launching drones and ballistic missiles on key targets inside the Israeli-occupied territories, inflicting heavy damage there. The Islamic Republic also fired missiles at a major U.S. airbase in Qatar in response to the strikes on the nuclear facilities, hours before a ceasefire came into force on June 24.