TEHRAN – A flight carrying Iranian students stranded in Italy by coronavirus lockdown arrived in Tehran early on Sunday.

Operated by the flag carrier, IranAir, it was the second batch of the students who were returned home from Italy after travel restrictions announced in Iran, Italy and many other countries, Donya-e Eqtesad reported on Monday.

The flight was carried out in full compliance with Iran’s Health Ministry, leaving Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport on 7 p.m. local time on April 18 for Rome with no passenger on board.

The return flight, boarding over 180 passengers, left Leonardo da Vinci International Airport at 11 p.m. local time and landed at IKIA on Sunday 6:25 a.m. local time.

In March, IranAir resumed flights to European destinations, excluding Vienna, Stockholm and Goteborg, following a temporary suspension over the virus outbreak. The move came after the European Union Aviation Safety Agency banned three Airbus models within IranAir’s fleet from European airspace, because they did not met required airworthiness standards.

AFM/MG