British Airways Resumes Flights to Tehran Delayed Until September

A few months after British Airways announced its readiness to resume flights to Tehran in July of this year, reports indicate that the company has postponed the start date for its flights to Iran until September. British Airways announced on its official website last February that its planes would resume flights to Iran following the lifting of sanctions on July 14 (24 Tir). Now, the Daily Telegraph in London has reported that the company has delayed the resumption of its flights to Tehran until September. British Airways had stated on its website that its Boeing 777 aircraft would operate six days a week on the London-Tehran route, and the Telegraph's report indicated a positive reception from British travel tours and tourists for the launch of direct flights from London to Tehran. However, a spokesperson for British Airways told the Daily Telegraph that Iran remains an important flight destination for the company, and flights will commence on September 1 (11 Shahrivar). The spokesperson cited 'technical issues' as the reason for the delay in resuming flights. The report quotes David McGuinness, head of the travel company 'Travel to the Unknown,' stating that Iran will be one of the busiest travel destinations in 2016. Neil Catterall, a British Airways executive, had also mentioned last February that 'Iran is a large country with a growing economy, and Tehran is an excellent city for business purposes, so we are very eager to open a new route in our flights to the Middle East.' The first flight of this company to Iran was conducted in 1956 to Tehran, but British Airways suspended its flights to Iran in 2012 amid escalating political tensions. Previously, Air France resumed its Paris-Tehran flights in April. Currently, Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines operate several flights per week to Tehran.