Russian Airline to Resume Flights to Tehran

Russia’s main airline company Aeroflot will resume flights between Moscow and Tehran while considering special restrictions for passengers to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. IRNA said in a Thursday report that Aeroflot will carry out flights on Sundays and Wednesdays on the route between Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport and Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport, beginning on November 18. The report said passengers seeking to board the flight should submit a written approval notice from the Russian Embassy in Tehran. The rule would not apply to Iranians with diplomatic or service passports or Russian passport holders or those with Russian residency permits.

Aeroflot reduced the number of flights on the Moscow-Tehran route from five to two and then to one per week in March when Iran reported the first wave of coronavirus infections. The flights were later canceled after demand for tourist trips from Iran to Russia fell sharply because of the pandemic. IRNA cited a Russian Transportation Ministry official as saying that only Aeroflot and Iran’s Mahan Airlines are currently servicing flights between the two countries, mainly because of restrictions meant to control the spread of the disease. Mahan Airlines currently flies between Tehran and Moscow on Thursdays, it said. - Iran Daily