Airlines Cancel Flights to Iran Amid Protests

Multiple airlines operating from regional hubs in the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Qatar cancelled flights to Iran on Friday amid escalating antigovernment protests over economic hardships that have swept the country.

The disruptions affected routes to major Iranian cities including Tehran, Shiraz and Mashhad. Dubai-based flydubai confirmed the cancellation of its scheduled services to those destinations, with a spokesperson stating the airline would continue to monitor the situation and adjust its schedule as needed. In Turkey, Turkish Airlines scrapped all five of its Friday flights from Istanbul to Tehran, according to information from the Istanbul Airport mobile application. The same source indicated that five flights operated by Iranian carriers to Istanbul were also cancelled, though seven other flights to the capital remained on schedule. Low-cost carriers Ajet and Pegasus Airlines halted additional services to Iran, while at least two flights from Qatar's Doha to Tehran, including those by Qatar Airways and partners such as Oman Air, were grounded, as shown on the Hamad International Airport website.

Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 revealed further...