Turkish Airlines cancels Tehran flights as protests rock Iran

Turkish Airlines cancelled five flights to Iran’s capital, Tehran, on January 9, as the country faces widespread protests over the rising cost of living, according to Istanbul Airport’s official application.

The airport app also showed that five flights operated by Iranian airlines were cancelled, while seven others remained scheduled to depart, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media. 

Iran has been grappling with a deepening economic crisis after years of international sanctions and as it continues to recover from the impact of the June war with Israel.

Flight tracking website FlightRadar showed that a Turkish Airlines flight bound for Shiraz and a Pegasus Airlines flight heading to Mashhad turned back after entering Iranian airspace late on January 9.

Türkiye shares a roughly 500-kilometre border with Iran and the two countries have three active land border crossings.

By Sabina Mammadli