Airlines operating from the UAE and Qatar resumed flights to Iran on Sunday after suspending services for two days due to widespread social unrest in the country.
In the UAE, Emirates and flydubai flights to Tehran and other Iranian cities departed on schedule, according to data published by Dubai Airports. Several flydubai services, including flights to Tehran, Shiraz and Mashhad, operated on time throughout the morning.
The 7.33am flydubai flight to Tehran departed on schedule, the 10.55am flydubai flight to Tehran was on time and the 11am flydubai flight to Shiraz also departed on time, airport data showed.
The 12.10pm flydubai flight to Tehran was also on time and so is the 12.55pm flight to Mashhad.
Flights operated by Iranian carriers Iran Air, Mahan Air and Qeshm Air to and from Dubai also continued as normal.
From Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airways’ early-morning flights to Tehran departed on time, data from Abu Dhabi Airport showed.
In Qatar, some disruptions persisted. Qatar Airways cancelled its early flights to Mashhad and Shiraz, according to Hamad International Airport’s website. However, the airline’s morning service to Tehran departed on schedule.
Iranians are protesting against the country's dire economic state, amid the plummeting value of the rial and soaring cost of living.
The country is in the grip of a “digital blackout”, as the government limits mobile internet access, exacerbating the chaos.
“Airlines will almost certainly be rerouting flights out of an abundance of caution, so passengers do not need to worry about booking flights, especially if they are flying from the UAE to Europe, for example, as most flights are often flown through the safer Iraqi airspace corridor,” Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at StrategicAero Research, told The National.
“The bigger caution is booking flights to Iran. While flights are operating, passengers need to be acutely aware that flights could suddenly be cancelled and passengers might not be able to find a way out easily, especially if the current Iranian government collapses because there will end up being a vacuum.
“We have seen how this sort of thing plays out already in places like Syria, Yemen and Libya – and the outcome is never good. So, the best bet right now for those intending to travel to Iran is to hold off until such time that it is safe to do so, because right now, the situation is highly dangerous.”
Given the continued volatility across Iran, people should be prepared for a sudden closure in airspace if the situation deteriorates, Mr Ahmad warned.
