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 began around the end of 2025 following “economic hardships and inflation” – something that has been at the heart of almost all nations around the worldt. 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“.
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
A spokesperson of flyDubai, the carrier that 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.”
All in All
According to Gulf News, at least 46 flights to and from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport were cancelled between Friday and Sunday, based on FlightAware tracking data. 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.
