British Airways resumes direct flights to Iran

British Airways will resume direct flights to Iran and will operate six flights a week between London and Tehran from today onwards for the first time since October 2012.

Six return flights per week will operate between London and Tehran, before a daily service will start later this year, reports the Guardian.

The resumption of flights on Thursday follows the lifting of some sanctions against Iran in January after the international nuclear watchdog said the government had met its obligations, triggering dismantling of network of punitive measures as part of a deal with six world powers in an attempt to remove bilateral relations with the West.

Last August, the British embassy in Tehran was also reopened after it was ransacked in 2011.

The first BA plane to Iran, a Boeing 777, will depart from Heathrow at 9:10 p.m. Flights were initially due to resume in July but there was a delay in establishing the route.

A BA spokesperson said: "The Iranians have been extremely helpful in setting up this important new route and have been as keen as we are for the service to start. Tehran is an important destination for British Airways and we wanted to ensure that the service we offered met the highest standards."

Earlier, Air France also resumed Paris-Tehran flights in April after an eight-year break.