Turkish Airlines cancelled five of its flights from Istanbul to Tehran today, Friday, according to the Istanbul Airport application. The cancellations come amid widespread protests in the Iranian capital against rising living costs.
The Istanbul Airport application also indicated that five flights operated by Iranian airlines were also cancelled. However, seven other flights are currently still scheduled, with no immediate explanation provided for the disruptions.
Information from flight tracking websites indicates potential issues within Iranian airspace. One Turkish Airlines flight bound for Shiraz and a Pegasus Airlines flight heading to Mashhad reportedly returned from Iranian airspace on Thursday night.
As of yet, Turkish authorities have not issued any official statement regarding the escalating protests in Iran. The Iranian government is currently grappling with an economic crisis following years of sanctions and is still recovering from the effects of the conflict last June.
Turkey shares a land border of approximately 500 kilometers with Iran, and three active land crossings exist between the two countries. The reasons for the flight cancellations remain unclear.
DZWatch will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as they become available.
Stay tuned for further developments.
