Tehran international flights drop 42% after US ban

Tehran's main international airport has seen a 42% drop in daily international flights since the US imposed a ban on Iranian airlines, according to tracking data. The number of daily flights to and from the city has fallen from an average of 91 pre-ban to just 53 since September 23, when the ban took effect. This decline comes after Israeli-American strikes on Iran in late February led to a complete closure of Iran's airspace.

Following the ban, only Iranian carriers have operated services out of Iran. In the week prior to the ban, flights to 18 countries were common, but since the ban, flights to Georgia, Oman, and Azerbaijan have completely ceased.

Other routes have seen significant reductions in traffic. Flights between Tehran and Dubai, which averaged three in each direction on September 23, have since ceased. Iraq's transport ministry announced on Tuesday that its national carrier will resume flights between Najaf and Tehran in October, after the US granted permission. Despite these disruptions, some popular routes have remained operational.

Flights to and from China have stayed consistent at eight flights per day on average. Flights between Turkey and Tehran, the busiest route, have only experienced a 19% decrease. Mahan Air, a major Iranian airline, has halted flights to Turkey since September 20. However, Caspian Airlines has increased its Tehran-Turkey flights since the ban.

Other countries with ongoing flight operations include Armenia, Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Thailand, Tajikistan, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Qatar. The analysis might have missed some flights that were unable to be reliably tracked, particularly those without transponder signals or unclear departure and landing times.