Three international airports will be closed for four hours on June 3 to commemorate the 28th death anniversary of Imam Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic. Based on an announcement by the Iranian Airports Company, Mehrabad, Payam, and Imam Khomeini international airports will be closed from 7:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., during which a ceremony to pay respects to the father of the 1979 Islamic Revolution will be underway. IRNA quoted an IAC official as saying that foreign and domestic airlines have been informed of the decision and air transport companies are instructed to make necessary arrangements. All flights before 7:45 a.m. and after 12:00 p.m. will be carried out as schedule, but those due to land and takeoff between those hours would be delayed. Built to replace Mehrabad as the country's main airline hub, Imam Khomeini International Airport serves almost 50 airlines carrying over seven million passengers every year to and from 30 countries and territories worldwide. Nevertheless, Mehrabad is still by far the busiest airport in Iran in terms of passenger traffic and aircraft movements, handling 13.5 million passengers in 2015. Payam Airport is an international cargo airport in Karaj, 40 kilometers from Tehran, in Alborz Province.
