TEHRAN – Türkiye’s flag carrier, Turkish Airlines, will resume flights to Iran on Monday, June 30, after a temporary suspension prompted by regional conflict and security concerns.

The announcement was made Saturday by Turkish Airlines CEO Bilal Eksi, who confirmed on social media that the carrier’s services to Mashhad, Iran’s second-most populous city, will recommence.

This marks the national airline’s first flight to Iran since Türkiye halted all routes on June 13 in response to Israeli airstrikes on Tehran and other Iranian cities, which led to a full closure of Iranian airspace.

The decision to resume flights comes days after a temporary ceasefire agreement was reached on June 24, following a 12-day escalation that disrupted air travel across the region.

“We are restarting our Mashhad flights on Monday, June 30,” Eksi wrote, signaling a cautious re-engagement with Iran’s aviation network.

The Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu also confirmed the partial restoration of flights between Istanbul and Mashhad. He noted that the airspace over western Iran remains closed and acknowledged ongoing efforts to return 11 Turkish aircraft that remain grounded in Iran and Iraq.

Iran’s transport ministry  spokesperson Majid Akhavan stated on Saturday that eastern, central, and western corridors of the country’s airspace have reopened for international overflights. However, commercial passenger flights to and from major hubs such as Tehran’s Mehrabad and Imam Khomeini airports remain suspended. Travel restrictions are still in effect in the northern, southern, and western regions of the country.

Akhavan urged the public to avoid traveling to closed airports and follow official announcements for updates on flight operations.

Mashhad and Chabahar are among the few airports currently operational, as Iran undertakes a phased reopening of its airspace and airports following the ceasefire. These cities had been affected during the hostilities but are now gradually returning to limited civil aviation activity.

The resumption of Turkish Airlines’ services is seen as a step toward regional normalization and signals cautious optimism for the restoration of broader international air connectivity in the weeks ahead.

AM