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Getting to Tehran has rarely been harder. Since the war that began at the end of February, and a new round of US sanctions on Iranian aviation in September, most foreign airlines have stopped flying into Imam Khomeini Airport.
There are still ways in. They just take more planning: fly to a regional hub first, then take a separate flight to Tehran.
At a glance (last checked 8 November 2026)
- Best route in: via Istanbul, on Iranian airlines
- Also flying: Qatar Airways from Doha
- Not flying: Turkish Airlines, Pegasus, AJet, Emirates, Lufthansa, Austrian
- Book: two separate tickets, with a long gap between them
Who has stopped flying. Several big names have pulled out, some until well into next year:
- Turkish Airlines, Pegasus and AJet cancelled all Iran flights from 21 September. Turkish shows nothing before March 2027.
- Emirates, Lufthansa and Austrian have suspended or restricted their Tehran services.
- European and US airlines are told by their regulators not to fly through Iranian airspace at all.
Who is still flying. On 8 November, live trackers showed about 17 international departures a day from Imam Khomeini Airport, mostly on Iranian airlines:
- Istanbul, the busiest route, with Iran Air, Iran Airtour, Iran Aseman and Sepehran
- Doha, with Qatar Airways
- Najaf in Iraq and Mazar-e-Sharif in Afghanistan
- China and South-East Asia, with Mahan Air
These schedules can change at very short notice, so check again before every booking.
Live flights at Imam Khomeini Airport. For today’s board, open the live IKA departures and IKA arrivals, or the official schedule on ikac.ir.
The timetable below shows scheduled direct flights from Istanbul to Tehran and lets you check fares. (Affiliate widget.)
How to get there in three steps.
- Fly to a hub. Book the long-haul leg to Istanbul or Doha on an airline you can pay with a normal bank card. Compare fares on Aviasales.
- Check the Tehran leg. Look up who is flying from that hub on ikac.ir (the flight schedule, barnameh-ye parvazi, is on the Persian side and is sometimes offline from abroad) or on a live tracker.
- Book it separately. Qatar Airways books as normal. Iranian airlines usually won’t take a foreign Visa or Mastercard, so use an Iranian travel agency or the airline’s office in the hub city.
Search flights to your hub. Compare fares from the UK and Europe to Istanbul or Doha. (Affiliate widget.)
Tip: on separate tickets, the first airline won’t rebook you if you miss the second flight. Leave a long gap, ideally an overnight stop, and choose flexible fares.
Delayed on the way? If your flight from the UK or Europe to the hub is late or cancelled, you may be owed compensation under UK and EU rules. AirHelp can make the claim for you.
Before you go. A quick checklist:
- Travel advice: check your government’s, as many advise against all travel to Iran
- Insurance: most policies will not cover Iran right now; see how to be covered up to the border
- Visa: see our visa guide
- Money: bring cash, as foreign cards don’t work; see money in Iran
- Arrival: our airport guide covers getting into the city
- Getting online: see our mobile networks guide, or install a travel eSIM such as Airalo before you fly
We will update this page as routes return. Flown into Tehran recently? Tell us which route you took.
Header photo: the main terminal at Imam Khomeini International Airport, Kat1100 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
