Passenger Flights between Iran, Saudi Arabia to Resume after Seven-Year Hiatus
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran's Civil Aviation Organization (CAO) has announced that passenger flights between Iran and Saudi Arabia will resume after the issuance of official permits, following the restoration of ties between Tehran and Riyadh after seven years.
The resumption of flights will depend on formal authorization from the aviation authority.
Jafar Yazarlou, the spokesperson of CAO, stated that "After studying the issue, the necessary and official permits for these flights will be issued, and flights will be carried out between the two countries."
In an interview with Tasnim news agency, Yazarlou also revealed that the facilitation of flights for pilgrimage to the holy Iranian city of Mashhad was one of the items of the recent Iran-Saudi agreement.
After a series of intensive negotiations hosted by China, Iran and Saudi Arabia finally reached an agreement on Friday to restore diplomatic relations, re-open embassies, and missions within two months. According to a joint statement, the two countries highlighted the importance of respecting each other's national sovereignty and refraining from interfering in their internal affairs.
Both countries also expressed their firm determination to make their utmost efforts to promote regional and international peace and security. Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran in January 2016 after Iranian protesters stormed its embassy in Tehran, enraged by the execution of prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr by the Saudi government.
The two sides had held five rounds of negotiations in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad since April 2021.