Saudi airline to resume Hajj flights to Iran after 10-year hiatus: What to know
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Iranian Muslim pilgrims head to Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat, also known as Jabal al-Rahma or Mount of Mercy, during the climax of the Hajj pilgrimage, on June 27, 2023. — SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images
After nearly 10 years of suspended air travel, Saudi Arabia and Iran are taking steps to restore regular flight connections. The push follows the arrival of a Saudi-operated flight in Tehran on Saturday, the first such landing since 2015.
What happened: On Monday, a delegation from Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation visited Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport and met with airport director Saeid Chalandari. Chalandari and the delegation discussed the airport's preparedness for the upcoming Hajj season and enhancing cooperation with Saudi airlines. The Saudi delegation's visit also included a tour of two of the airport's terminals, according to Iranian media.
The visit came just two days after flynas, a private Saudi airline, operated a ceremonial direct flight from Jeddah to Tehran and back on May 17, according to a release from the Imam Khomeini airport. The flight did not appear to be carrying passengers but had a flynas crew of at least nine on board.
Saturday's flight is part of a wider initiative to facilitate Iranian participation in the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage, which begins in early June.
The last time a Saudi airline flew Iranian Hajj pilgrims was in 2015, just before a diplomatic breakdown in 2016. Since then, Iranians could join the Hajj but were only allowed to travel to Saudi Arabia on Iranian chartered flights during the Hajj season.
One member of the Saudi delegation, Mahra bin Basin bin Mubarrad al-Mushri, said that "arrangements are currently underway” to reestablish broader air travel routes, with more Saudi carriers expected to begin operations to Tehran soon, though no timefram has been set out.
Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Iran, Abdullah bin Saud Al-Anzi, attended the reception of the flight at the Imam Khomeini International Airport, posting photos of the plane and reception on X.
— عبدالله بن سعود العنزي (@alanazi203) May 18, 2025
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