An Iranian official informed the Iranian Labor News Agency on Sunday that Iran and Saudi Arabia will hold official talks next week to resume direct flights between Tehran, Riyadh, and other cities.
These regular flights mark another step towards the normalization of relations between the two Middle Eastern rivals.
An agreement brokered by China in March of last year had already restored diplomatic relations between the two countries after years of tension that had threatened regional security and fueled conflicts in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.
Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammad Mohammadi Bakhsh was quoted by the Iranian Labor News Agency saying, “There are no restrictions on operating direct flights between Tehran and Riyadh or other cities.”
He added, “A bilateral working group will begin final negotiations next week to operate non-pilgrimage flights between the two countries.”
Iran and Saudi Arabia severed ties in 2016 following Riyadh’s execution of a Shia cleric and the subsequent storming of the Saudi embassy in Tehran.
There have been no regular and direct flights between the two nations for years. Currently, only occasional direct flights from Iran operate for the transportation of pilgrims.
Mohammadi Bakhsh stated that the resumption of air travel would encompass Umrah pilgrimages throughout the year and non-religious travel purposes.
He also noted that Iran had already submitted a list of airlines that could potentially operate these flights, but no specific carriers have been identified yet.
