Iranian airlines to resume flights to Georgia

Georgia's civil aviation agency says Iranian Zagros Airlines and Qeshm Airlines will resume regular air services between Georgia and the Islamic Republic.

Flights will be operated by both airlines on the Tehran-Tbilisi-Tehran air route, it said Tuesday, adding Zagros Airlines will operate flights between Tbilisi and Tehran twice a week from November 1.

As for Qeshm Airlines, the agency has approved the required seven frequencies for the airline during the winter navigation season, which the Iranian company plans to adopt in stages.

In particular, flights will be operated twice a week until November 15 and four times a week after that date.

Qeshm Airlines will consider switching to day-to-day operations during the off-season, it added.

According to Azerbaijan's Trend news agency, the Georgian Civil Aviation Administration and the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia have already granted the necessary permits to the airlines for regular air traffic.

Many global and regional airlines have resumed using the Iranian airspace regardless of the advisory notices by the US and some European countries.

Iranian aviation authorities say overflights can generate significant revenues for the country at a time airlines are scrambling to respond to growing demand for air travel around the world as governments ease coronavirus restrictions.

Last week, Europe’s main aviation regulator EASA withdrew a warning notice issued in January 2020 that had urged airlines to avoid the Iranian airspace.

EASA started warning against Iran overflights in January 2020 after the country came close to a confrontation with the United States following the US assassination a top Iranian general in neighboring Iraq. The notice was issued after Iran fired missiles at US forces stationed in Iraq in retaliation. 

Iranian airline companies have reported a boost in demand for flights on their domestic and international routes since mid-summer when the Iranian government ramped up its coronavirus vaccination campaign.

The Iranian health ministry announced on Sunday that it had lifted a cap imposed in April last year that limited the number of passengers allowed in a flight to 60% of the plane’s seat capacity.

However, airlines would still be required to only board passengers who submit valid PCR test results, the ministry added.

SS