British Airways to re-launch direct flights from London to Iran

The flights come after nuclear sanctions imposed by US, UN and EU on Tehran were lifted in January

UK airline, British Airways, has announced it will be resuming direct flights from London to Iran, after nuclear sanctions imposed on Tehran were lifted last month.

Passengers will be able to fly direct from London Heathrow Terminal 5 to Tehran from 14 July 14, when the six-weekly service will launch.

The service from Heathrow Terminal 5 will be operated by a four-class Boeing 777.

The flights are available to book from 3 February and will increase to daily flights in the near future.

Return fares to Tehran start from £384 for economy class, £728 for Economy Plus, £2163 for Business and £3763 for First class.

The airline suspended the direct flights in October 2012 when British Midland International (BMI) became part of British Airways and the route was no longer deemed to be “commercially viable”.

A re-launch of the flights was hinted at last month when Chief Executive Officer, Willie Walsh, said on 18 January, BA was close to reaching a decision on the reinstatement of Tehran services.

Neil Cottrell, British Airways’ head of network planning, said: “Iran is a large and growing economy and Tehran is a brilliant business city so we are incredibly excited to be adding another gateway to the Middle East for our customers.

The recent lifting of sanctions opens up exciting new prospects for Iran as a tourist destination and with its rich heritage, unique architecture and world-class food it’s unsurprising Tehran is tipped to be a popular destination for 2016.”

The Nuclear sanctions imposed by US, UN and EU on Tehran were lifted in January, a move which Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said would “open new windows of engagement with the world” and allow the country to make “an economic leap and development”.

Until now, only Iran Air offered direct flights between the UK and Iran.

British Airways has a long history of flying to Tehran and offered the first scheduled flights between London and the Iranian capital in 1946.