A growing number of international airlines have cancelled scheduled flights to and from the Islamic Republic of Iran amid intensifying and country-wide protests that show no sign of abating, raising acute concerns about security and operational viability within Iranian airspace, with The Independent reporting that “Flydubai, Turkish Airlines, Turkey’s Ajet, and Pegasus Airlines all cancelled flights to Iranian cities, including Tehran, Shiraz, and Mashhad“.
The cancellations came after anti-government protests in Iran that begun around the end of 2025 following “economic hardships and inflation” – something that has been at the hear of almost all nations around the world, a notable example of which was the Gen-Z protests in Nepal that threatened to burn down Tribhuvan International Airport. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused demonstrators “of acting on behalf of émigré opposition groups and the United States, as rights groups reported police firing on protesters“.
Airline Cancellations in Iran: An Overview
| Airline | IATA Code | Cancellations (Jan 9-10, 2026) | Primary Affected Routes |
|---|---|---|---|
| flydubai | FZ | All flights to Iran cancelled (at least 17) | Dubai–Tehran, –Shiraz, –Mashhad |
| Turkish Airlines | TK | 17 flights cancelled | Istanbul–Tehran, –Tabriz, –Mashhad |
| Pegasus Airlines | PC | Multiple flights cancelled | Istanbul–Mashhad |
| AJet (Türkiye) | — | 6 flights cancelled | Istanbul–Tehran |
| Qatar Airways | QR | Cancellations to Tehran & other cities | Doha–Tehran |
Note: Iranian carriers such as Iran Air, Mahan Air and Qeshm Air appeared to operate normally during the same period, indicating that cancellations were driven by foreign carrier safety assessments rather than domestic regulatory flight bans.
A spokesperson of flyDubai, the carrier that all cancelled all its flights to Iran on Friday (January 9) was quoted in the Khaleej Times to have said:
“We are in direct contact with passengers whose travel plans have been affected…..We will continue to monitor the situation closely and revise our flight schedule accordingly.”
What Triggered the Flight Cancellations in Iran?
According to GulfNews,
“At least 46 flights in and out of Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport were cancelled between last Friday and Sunday, according to flight tracking data from FlightAware. Several flights at Mashhad Shahid Hasheminejad Airport, Iran’s second-busiest airport, were also cancelled.”
The crisis — erupting in late December 2025 and persisting into January 2026 — has seen protests spread across all 31 provinces of Iran, compounded by an internet shutdown ordered by Tehran.
Iran also saw a nationwide internet blackout and communications shutdown, constricting both domestic and foreign communications critical to aviation operations. Here are some key numerical indicators during Iran’s internet blackout, as reported by The Guardian.
| Category | Metric | Numerical Value | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shutdown duration | Length of current internet blackout | 36 hours | Nationwide shutdown in effect at time of reporting |
| Internet access | Reduction in internet traffic | 90% decrease | Internet traffic to Iran dropped after blackout began |
| Telecommunications | Domestic mobile phone service | 0% functional | Mobile networks had no service |
| Telecommunications | International calls | 100% blocked | International calling appeared fully unavailable |
| Political communication | Posts by Iran’s Supreme Leader on X | 12 posts | Posted on a single Friday during the blackout |
| Historical reference | Age of Mahsa Amini | 22 years | Her death triggered the 2022 protests where Starlink was used |
Previous politically motivated internet shutdowns offer a useful benchmark for assessing the severity of Iran’s current blackout. Egypt’s government, under Hosni Mubarak, cut nationwide internet access for six days during the 2011 Tahrir Square protests, a move that severely disrupted state functions and commercial activity.
The Taliban imposed a 48-hour shutdown in Afghanistan in September, publicly framing it as a measure to curb “immorality,” though it also limited information flows during a period of heightened internal control. Iran itself has a recent precedent: its 2019 blackout was widely described by internet observers as the most extreme digital disconnection they had encountered at the time.
Airport Impact: Tehran and Major Iranian hubs
While foreign carriers have pulled back, Iranian aerodromes remain operational but under strain as protests continue and domestic infrastructure faces heightened pressure.
| Airport name (IATA) | Location | Status during unrest |
|---|---|---|
| Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA), Tehran | Tehran, Iran | Flights from foreign carriers cancelled; domestic operations continue |
| Shiraz International Airport (SYZ) | Shiraz, Iran | Cancellations of international flights |
| Mashhad International Airport (MHD) | Mashhad, Iran | Cancellations of international flights |
| Tabriz International Airport (TBZ) | Tabriz, Iran | Affected by Turkish carrier cancellations |
Aviation analysts note that airspace safety depends on reliable communications, and the lack of consistent air traffic control data flows due to the internet blackout has increased operational risk significantly.
This dynamic has contributed to airlines’ decisions to temporarily suspend flights rather than attempt to operate under uncertain conditions.
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Comparison with Historical Flight Disruption
According to aviation publication Simple Flying, Iranian airspace has been closed on a variety of occasions, albeit temporarily, over the past few years:
“Last summer, Iran and Israel exchanged a series of missile strikes, which forced the closure of Iranian airspace, while the FAA banned US airlines from overflying Iran in the wake of a January 2020 missile strike on US bases in Iraq. Concerns regarding commercial aircraft flying over active conflict zones are well-placed…”
Civil unrest or geopolitical crises have previously disrupted airline operations in the region:
| Event | Year | Cause | Aviation Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 protests | 2020 | Iranian shootdown of UIA Flight 752 | International protests and aviation scrutiny after downing incident; route suspensions occurred. |
| Mahsa Amini protests (Iran) | 2022-2023 | Nationwide political unrest | Regional carriers curtailed service; some international carriers reduced schedules. |
| Beirut riots flight suspensions (Lebanon) | 2025 | Domestic riots causing suspension of flights to/from Beirut and occasional directives regarding Iran route safety. |
All in All
Civil instability affecting aviation is not unprecedented; however, the scale of cancellations in January 2026 across multiple carriers marks one of the most extensive service disruptions to Iran since the Mahsa Amini protests. The current blockade of reliable communication systems adds a new dimension to operational risk evaluation as well.
The following table gives us a complete breakdown of flight cancelations in iran:
| Airline | Origin | Destination (Iran) | Operational Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| AJet (AnadoluJet) | Ankara | Tehran (IKA) | Services suspended throughout Friday, Saturday and Sunday. |
| AJet (AnadoluJet) | Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen | Tehran (IKA) | Flights not operating on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. |
| Aeroflot | Moscow Sheremetyevo | Tehran (IKA) | Airline schedule not fully updated; Saturday evening flight still showing as operating. |
| Air Arabia | Sharjah | Tehran (IKA) | Friday services cancelled; full operations resumed from Saturday. |
| Air Arabia | Sharjah | Lar (LRR) | Friday cancellations followed by a return to normal service on Saturday. |
| Air Arabia | Sharjah | Mashhad (MHD) | Flights cancelled on Friday; operations restored on Saturday. |
| Air Arabia | Sharjah | Shiraz (SYZ) | Friday disruptions only; services resumed the following day. |
| Armenia Airways | Yerevan | Tehran (IKA) | Friday flight operated as scheduled; upcoming services currently unaffected. |
| Austrian Airlines | Vienna | Tehran (IKA) | Flights cancelled on Friday and Sunday; Tuesday service currently planned to operate. |
| Azerbaijan Airlines | Baku | Tehran (IKA) | Flights halted from Thursday to Saturday; Sunday schedule shows normal operations. |
| Azerbaijan Airlines | Baku | Tabriz (TBZ) | Thursday service suspended; next scheduled flight on Sunday listed as operating. |
| China Southern Airlines | Beijing Daxing | Tehran (IKA) | Services cancelled citing public safety concerns; Friday and Monday flights affected. |
| China Southern Airlines | Urumqi | Tehran (IKA) | Sunday flight cancelled; later services remain unchanged for now. |
| Emirates | Dubai | Tehran (IKA) | All Friday flights cancelled with knock-on disruption on Saturday; limited services restarting. |
| flydubai | Dubai | Bandar Abbas (BND) | Friday services cancelled; significant disruption on Saturday with gradual recovery. |
| flydubai | Dubai | Bushehr (BUZ) | Operations halted on Friday; partial restoration underway after Saturday disruption. |
| flydubai | Dubai | Isfahan (IFN) | Flights cancelled Friday; operational instability continued into Saturday. |
| flydubai | Dubai | Tehran (IKA) | Friday cancellations followed by reduced operations on Saturday. |
| flydubai | Dubai | Kerman (KER) | Friday flights cancelled; some services beginning to resume. |
| flydubai | Dubai | Lar (LRR) | Services disrupted from Friday; limited operations restarting. |
| flydubai | Dubai | Mashhad (MHD) | Friday cancellations with lingering disruption into Saturday. |
| flydubai | Dubai | Shiraz (SYZ) | Operations halted Friday; recovery still ongoing. |
| Jazeera Airways | Kuwait | Ahvaz (AWZ) | All scheduled flights cancelled on Saturday. |
| Jazeera Airways | Kuwait | Tehran (IKA) | Saturday services withdrawn across the network. |
| Jazeera Airways | Kuwait | Mashhad (MHD) | Flights cancelled on Saturday. |
| Jazeera Airways | Kuwait | Shiraz (SYZ) | All Saturday flights cancelled. |
| Jazeera Airways | Medina | Ahvaz (AWZ) | Saturday services cancelled. |
| Jazeera Airways | Medina | Shiraz (SYZ) | No operations on Saturday. |
| Jazeera Airways | Jeddah | Shiraz (SYZ) | Saturday flight cancelled. |
| Kuwait Airways | Kuwait | Tehran (IKA) | Flights cancelled Friday and Saturday; services expected to resume from Sunday. |
| Kuwait Airways | Kuwait | Mashhad (MHD) | Operations suspended Friday and Saturday; normal schedule listed from Sunday. |
| Lufthansa | Frankfurt | Tehran (IKA) | Route yet to recommence; flights scheduled to resume on 16 January. |
| Pegasus Airlines | Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen | Isfahan (IFN) | Flights cancelled Friday and Saturday; most Sunday services also affected. |
| Pegasus Airlines | Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen | Tehran (IKA) | Extensive cancellations across the weekend; airline schedules remain incomplete. |
| Pegasus Airlines | Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen | Mashhad (MHD) | Weekend services largely cancelled, including most Sunday flights. |
| Pegasus Airlines | Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen | Shiraz (SYZ) | Flights cancelled Friday and Saturday; limited clarity for Sunday. |
| Pegasus Airlines | Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen | Tabriz (TBZ) | Services cancelled through most of the weekend. |
| Qatar Airways | Doha | Tehran (IKA) | Flights cancelled Friday and Saturday; Sunday services showing as operational. |
| Qatar Airways | Doha | Mashhad (MHD) | Flights cancelled through Saturday; Sunday services remain suspended. |
| Qatar Airways | Doha | Shiraz (SYZ) | Weekend cancellations continue, including Sunday. |
| SalamAir | Muscat | Tehran (IKA) | All services suspended on Saturday and Sunday. |
| SalamAir | Muscat | Shiraz (SYZ) | Weekend flights withdrawn entirely. |
| Turkish Airlines | Istanbul | Isfahan (IFN) | Flights suspended across Friday, Saturday and Sunday. |
| Turkish Airlines | Istanbul | Tehran (IKA) | No operations throughout the weekend. |
| Turkish Airlines | Istanbul | Mashhad (MHD) | Services halted for three consecutive days. |
| Turkish Airlines | Istanbul | Shiraz (SYZ) | All weekend flights suspended. |
| Turkish Airlines | Istanbul | Tabriz (TBZ) | Operations paused from Friday through Sunday. |
Source: Aerospace Global News