Imam Khomeini International Airport, the operator of all international flights to/from Tehran, registered 35,400 flights during the first nine months of the current Iranian year (March 21-Dec. 21), indicating a 66% rise compared with the corresponding period of last year, according to Saeed Chalandari, caretaker of the airport.
The number of arrivals stood at 17,704 and departures at 17,705, he added, noting that the number of passengers, who arrived from 47 countries and departed to 26 countries during the period, stood at 5.3 million (2.61 million incoming and 2.69 million outgoing), registering an 88% year-on-year increase, IRNA reported.
The official added that passengers transported a total of 375 tons of cargo on international flights during the period, registering a 61% year-on-year rise.
Mahan Air, Kish Air and Turkish Air had the highest number of flights among 33 domestic and foreign airlines operating to/from IKIA during the period.
Istanbul, Najaf and Dubai topped the list of destinations.
IKIA flights are operated from Terminal No. 1, as a second terminal is under construction at the site of the airport.
Bank Pasargad, Imam Khomeini Airport Town Company and Iran Airports Company have signed a financing agreement for the development of Phase I of Terminal No. 2 of IKIA, known as Salaam Terminal.
Mahan Air, Kish Air and Turkish Air had the highest number of flights among the 33 domestic and foreign airlines operating to/from IKIA during the period. Istanbul, Najaf and Dubai topped the list of destinations
Under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract worth €2 billion, Bank Pasargad has committed to provide 80% of the financing and Imam Khomeini Airport Town Company and Iran Airports Company 10% of the funds, according to the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development.
IKIA has the capacity to handle 10-12 million passengers annually. With the completion of Phase I of the new terminal, the airport’s capacity will increase to 35 million passengers; when fully operated, the airport’s capacity will rise to 110 million passengers per year.
A total of 600 hectares have been dedicated to the construction of the new terminal, of which Phase I spans over an area of 410,000 square meters. The airport apron is being developed over 100 hectares and will provide parking space for 70 airplanes.
According to the former roads minister, Mohammad Eslami, IKIA will become Iran’s first international airport with transit capacity when the new terminal becomes operational.
Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport accounts for the highest number of domestic flights followed by Mashhad and Shiraz airports.
Iran Airports Company’s latest data show passenger traffic in Iranian airports registered a year-on-year rise of 24% in the current Iranian year’s first eight months (March 21-Nov. 21), as 21.32 million passengers were flown internally by Iranian airlines.
This is while the number of takeoffs and landings posted an 11% year-on-year fall during the period to 186,833.
The significant rise in passenger traffic, despite the decline in the number of flights, is because restrictions related to Covid-19 were eased after airlines had been enforcing social distancing to fend off the pandemic for over two years.
Over 176.47 million tons of cargo were shipped during the period, marking a 26% year-on-year rise.
Mehrabad airport accounted for over 7.92 million of the total number of passengers, 20% more than in the corresponding period of last year.
Mashhad International Airport and Shiraz International Airport followed with 4.24 million and 1.39 million passengers respectively.
Mehrabad handled 69,693 landings and takeoffs during the period, considerably higher than other Iranian airports.
Domestic flights in the eighth month of the current Iranian year (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) were delayed by an average of 81 minutes.
Around 33% of flights were delayed during the period: The longest average delay in flights was registered by Kish Air with 112 minutes and the shortest by Mahan Air with 49 minutes.
