Six more airports to reopen as Iran restores air traffic after wartime damage

Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation has said six more airports will reopen from Saturday as the country gradually restores flight operations following damage sustained during recent US-Israeli strikes.

Hamidreza Sanaei, deputy head of the organisation, said in a televised appearance that airport infrastructure had been directly affected during the conflict. “Airports, including Mehrabad, were targeted,” he said, adding that “four control towers were directly hit and damaged,” News.Az reports, citing Tasnim News Agency.

He said most airports, aside from two general and several oil-related facilities, had not suffered damage severe enough to halt operations and would gradually return to service following safety assessments. Airports in eastern Iran are already largely operational, with further restoration underway in coordination with relevant authorities.

Sanaei also confirmed damage to aviation systems, including navigation infrastructure. “Twelve civilian radars and several navigation aid systems were directly struck,” he said.

On the aircraft fleet, he said 15 planes were directly hit by missiles, while others sustained varying levels of damage. “Less than 20% of active aircraft have been fully taken out of service,” he said, adding that repair work was ongoing.

He said around 90 cargo flights carrying medicines and medical supplies had been conducted during the conflict.

On refunds for cancelled flights, Sanaei said airlines had been ordered to reimburse passengers. “We have issued multiple directives requiring companies to return passengers’ funds,” he said, adding that six firms had been referred to judicial authorities for violations.

He added that flight resumption would proceed only after safety clearance. “We are restoring airports step by step based on technical and safety assessments,” he said.

News.Az