First British Airways flight lands in Iran after 4 years

British Airways has resumed direct flights to Iran after a hiatus of four years following the removal of sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

The first passenger plane of flagship carrier BA landed at Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKIA) in Tehran on Friday morning after the airline suspended its flights to Iran in October 2012.

The Boeing 777, led by Iranian-British captain Kami Hosseini, departed from London's Heathrow airport Thursday night.

British Airways plans to operate six return flights a week between London’s Heathrow and Tehran's IKIA. A daily service will start later this year.

The flagship British carrier has described the Iranian capital as “an important destination” for the airline.

British Airways announced in June that it had postponed the long-awaited resumption of its flights to Iran due to “some technical issues.”

SS