Domestic air travel is on the path to recovery from losses in the last Iranian year (March 2020-21) as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, latest data provided by Iran Airports Company show.
Iranian airports handled 77,211 takeoffs and landings in the first quarter of the current fiscal year, registering a 68% year-on-year growth.
According to Siavash Amir-Mokri, the CEO of Iran Airports Company, passenger traffic stood at six million people during the period, up 43% YOY, IRIB News reported.
A total of 52,000 tons of goods were transported by air in spring to register a 67% rise.
Iranian airports' domestic passenger traffic increased to 2.3 million during the third month of the current fiscal year (May 22-June 21), registering an 11% growth year-on-year, the official added.
Takeoffs and landings also posted a substantial YOY growth of 29% during the month with 28,476.
Over 19,000 tons of cargos were handled during the third month of the year, up 21% year-on-year.
A total of 8,938 foreign flights passed through Iran's airspace from May 22 to June 21, registering a 66% YOY growth.
The new data come as air travel was hit hard in the last Iranian year (March 2020-21) by the Covid-19 pandemic.
IAC was established in 1988 for constructing, maintaining and administering airports across the country, as an affiliation of the Civil Aviation Organization. In 1994, the Supreme Council of Administrative Affairs delegated all administrative and executive responsibilities to Iran’s Airports Company in line with transportation strategies.
Since 2004, Iran’s Airport Company has been a corporate holding company with financial independence. It functions as an affiliate of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, based on regulations and rules governing state-owned companies. It is headquartered at Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport and has offices at all Iranian airports.
Iranian airports' domestic passenger traffic during the last Iranian fiscal year (ended March 2021) declined by 38% year-on-year, as 25.05 million passengers were transported by air during the period.
A total of 203,239 tons of cargos were handled during the year under review, which shows a 34% drop compared with the corresponding period of last year.
The IAC report also shows that airports in Iran operated 283,105 landings and takeoffs during the last fiscal year, posting an 18% YOY fall.
Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport accounted for 9.17 million of the total passenger traffic, 36% less than the same period of the year before.
Mashhad International Airport and Kish International Airport came next with 2.97 million and 2.26 million passengers, respectively.
Mehrabad operated 101,680 landings and takeoffs during the period, considerably higher than other Iranian airports.
Ardabil Airport registered the highest growth in takeoffs and landings among major airports in Iran, operating 2,360 takeoffs and landings, up 33% year-on-year.
Chabahar Airport also managed to record considerable traffic growth, handling 2,516 takeoffs and landings, up 16% compared with the year before.
Ardabil also topped the list of major airports in terms of growth in domestic passenger traffic with 155,758 passengers, 1% higher than the year before.
IAC's data do not include figures on Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport, which accounts for the largest portion of international flights operated to/from Iran.
As the impact of the coronavirus and multiple government travel restrictions sweep throughout the world, many airlines have been driven into technical bankruptcy, or are at least substantially in breach of debt covenants.
Even though figures indicate recovery in the market, Iranian aviation officials believe that the sector ill need at least three years to make a comeback.
