TEHRAN – Some Iranian airline companies have resumed selling tickers for Tehran-Istanbul flights, the secretary of the Association of Iranian Airlines has said.

“The flights are scheduled to be operated as of Mordad 11th (August 1),” Mehr quoted Maqsoud As’adi-Samani as saying on Tuesday.

Flights to Turkey will be resumed after nearly four months of suspension over the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the Turkish Airlines has also commenced selling tickets for Tehran-Istanbul services on July 16, he noted.

The pandemic has taken a huge toll on Iran’s civil aviation sector with reports showing that airlines lost hundreds of millions of dollars because of flight cancellations during the busy New Year travel season in late March.

Some 1.37 million Iranian tourists visited Turkey during the first eight months of 2019, accounting for 4.4% of all international arrivals in the country.

AFM/MG