Lufthansa to Resume Iran Flights after 2-Months Hiatus

German flagship airline Lufthansa will soon resume flights to and from Iran after a safety notice issued by the European Union aviation agency expired last month.

The head of Iran Airports and Air Navigation Company (IAC) said on Monday that Lufthansa Group representatives are expected to finalize arrangements to resume Iran flights in meetings with IAC authorities within the next 24 hours.

Mohammad Amirani said that the meetings will come days after a two-month Notam (Notice to Airmen) issued by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) warning about the safety risks of overflying the Iranian airspace expired on January 31. “We will soon witness the resumption of flights by this aviation group,” said Amirani in reference to Lufthansa.

He said, however, that the Iranian airspace had remained calm in the past two months, adding that the number of overflights through Iran had reached an average of more than 700 per day during the period.

The official, who also serves as a deputy Iranian transportation minister, said that other international airlines have announced their readiness to resume flights to and from Iran and to pass through Iranian airspace. EASA’s Notam was issued on November 29 amid heightened military tensions between Iran and the Israeli regime.

Lufthansa’s resumption of flights to Iran comes amid an EU ban on flights by Iran’s major airlines to European airports. The ban has increased demand for direct flights between Iran and Europe by other airlines. A first such flight by private Iranian airline Iran Airtour was canceled by French aviation authorities on January 30 just a day before the flight was to carry passengers from Tehran to Paris. - Press TV