⚠️ Airspace advisory (June 2026): Iran’s airspace is currently under a “Do Not Fly” advisory. The Tehran flight information region has only partially reopened, very few international operators are using it, and the main risk remains the misidentification of civil aircraft by air-defence systems during periods of heightened tension. Many international carriers have suspended or rerouted flights, so the routes and schedules below may not reflect live operations. Always check the current status before booking. Source: safeairspace.net.
Key Takeaways
- A large, almost entirely domestic network. Around 33 Iranian airports have scheduled service, but the network is overwhelmingly domestic. Mashhad and Tehran’s Mehrabad lead by the number of nonstop destinations, while Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International handles almost all of the country’s long-haul flying.
- Tehran has two airports. Mehrabad (THR), in the city, is now used almost entirely for domestic flights, while Imam Khomeini (IKA), to the south, is the international gateway. They serve very different roles, so we rank them separately.
- Mashhad is a pilgrimage powerhouse. Mashhad, home to the Imam Reza shrine, is one of Iran’s busiest airports by passengers, with dense domestic links and regional flights to the Gulf and Iraq.
- No nonstop flights to the United States. Iran has no direct air links to the US. With no diplomatic relations and heavy sanctions in place, travellers connect through Dubai, Istanbul, Doha or other regional hubs.
- Sanctions shape Iranian aviation. US and EU sanctions block Iranian carriers from buying new Western aircraft and parts, leaving the country with one of the oldest commercial fleets in the world. Mahan Air, the largest carrier, is itself under US sanctions.
Iran runs one of the Middle East’s largest aviation networks, with roughly 33 airports handling scheduled flights across a vast country that stretches from the Caspian Sea to the Persian Gulf. Yet for all its size, the network is overwhelmingly domestic: dense links connect Tehran, Mashhad, Shiraz, Isfahan and the Gulf cities, while international flying is concentrated in a handful of gateways and shaped heavily by sanctions and regional politics.
Below we map and rank Iran’s major airports by the number of regularly-served nonstop destinations each one reaches, drawn from live route data on AirportRoutes. Because the figures come from observed flight data, a large sample rather than a complete published timetable, we treat them as a strong guide to relative connectivity rather than exact official totals. One quirk to note up front: by destination count, Mashhad and Tehran’s domestic Mehrabad airport actually edge out Imam Khomeini International, even though Imam Khomeini is the country’s flagship long-haul gateway.
Can you fly nonstop from Iran to the United States?
No. There are no nonstop flights between Iran and the United States. The two countries have had no diplomatic relations since 1980, and US sanctions prohibit direct air links, so no Iranian or American carrier operates the route. Travellers heading to North America fly first to a regional hub, most commonly Dubai, Istanbul, or Doha, and connect onward from there.
Iran’s international flying is similarly concentrated. Imam Khomeini International in Tehran handles the great majority of the country’s long-haul and intercontinental routes, with the busiest links running to the Gulf (Dubai, Sharjah, Doha, Muscat), Turkey (Istanbul), Iraq (Najaf, for Shia pilgrimage), the Caucasus and East Asia. Mashhad adds substantial regional service tied to religious tourism. For most of the world beyond the region, getting to or from Iran means connecting through Dubai, Istanbul or Doha rather than flying direct.
Ranked
Major Airports in Iran by Nonstop Destinations
Ranked by regularly-served nonstop destinations, busiest first.
| Airport | IATA | Nonstop | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Mashhad | MHD | 37+ | Mashhad |
| 2. Mehrabad | THR | 36+ | Tehran |
| 3. Imam Khomeini | IKA | 32+ | Tehran |
| 4. Shiraz | SYZ | 23+ | Shiraz |
| 5. Bandar Abbas | BND | 13+ | Bandar Abbas |
| 6. Isfahan | IFN | 12+ | Isfahan |
| 7. Qasem Soleimani | AWZ | 11+ | Ahvaz |
| 8. Tabriz | TBZ | 10+ | Tabriz |
| 9. Persian Gulf | PGU | 9+ | Asaluyeh |
| 10. Kish | KIH | 8+ | Kish Island |
| 11. Hashemi Rafsanjani | KER | 5+ | Kerman |
| 12. Chabahar | ZBR | 5+ | Chabahar |
| 13. Zahedan | ZAH | 5+ | Zahedan |
| 14. Sari | SRY | 4+ | Sari |
| 15. Sardar-e-Jangal | RAS | 2+ | Rasht |
| 16. Lar | LRR | 2+ | Lar |
| 17. Abadan | ABD | 2+ | Abadan |
| 18. Shahid Sadooghi | AZD | 2+ | Yazd |
A closer look at Iran’s biggest airports
🕌 Mashhad (MHD)
Mashhad International, officially Shahid Hashemi Nejad Airport, serves Iran’s second-largest city and its holiest, home to the shrine of Imam Reza. The constant flow of pilgrims makes it one of the busiest airports in the country by passenger numbers, with a dense web of domestic routes plus regional flights to the Gulf and Iraq.
Serving Mashhad, MHD reaches about 37 regularly-served nonstop destinations, mostly within Iran and to nearby Gulf and regional cities. Top destinations include Tehran, Kish Island, Tabriz, Dubai and Istanbul.
Main airlines: Iran Air, Mahan Air, Caspian Airlines, Iran Aseman Airlines. See the full route map for MHD on AirportRoutes →
🛫 Tehran Mehrabad (THR)
Mehrabad was Tehran’s main airport until 2007 and sits right inside the city. Since Imam Khomeini International opened to the south, Mehrabad has handled almost exclusively domestic flights, and it is now one of the busiest domestic airports in the Middle East by aircraft movements, the beating heart of Iran’s internal network.
Serving Tehran on domestic routes, THR reaches about 36 regularly-served nonstop destinations across the country. Top destinations include Mashhad, Kish Island, Bandar Abbas, Shiraz and Tabriz.
Main airlines: Mahan Air, Iran Air, Caspian Airlines, Zagros Airlines. See the full route map for THR on AirportRoutes →
✈️ Tehran Imam Khomeini (IKA)
Imam Khomeini International, about 50 km southwest of Tehran, is Iran’s primary international gateway. It opened in 2004 and now handles virtually all of the capital’s long-haul and intercontinental traffic, leaving the older Mehrabad airport to domestic service. Although it ranks third here by destination count, it is the country’s flagship for flights abroad.
Serving Tehran on international routes, IKA reaches about 32 regularly-served nonstop destinations, including roughly four intercontinental links. Top destinations include Dubai, Istanbul, Najaf, Doha and Shanghai.
Main airlines: Mahan Air, Iran Air, Turkish Airlines, Iran Aseman Airlines. See the full route map for IKA on AirportRoutes →
🏛️ Shiraz (SYZ)
Shiraz Shahid Dastgheib International is the main airport of Fars province and southern Iran, and the gateway for visitors to the ancient ruins of Persepolis and the gardens and poets’ tombs of Shiraz itself. It is one of the busier provincial hubs, mixing strong domestic links with Gulf and Turkish service.
Serving Shiraz, SYZ reaches about 23 regularly-served nonstop destinations across Iran and the wider region. Top destinations include Tehran, Dubai, Muscat, Istanbul and Doha.
Main airlines: Iran Air, Mahan Air, Iran Aseman Airlines, Jazeera Airways. See the full route map for SYZ on AirportRoutes →
⚓ Bandar Abbas (BND)
Bandar Abbas International serves the major port city on the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic chokepoint at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. It is southern Iran’s key coastal hub, linking the port and its naval and shipping traffic to Tehran, Mashhad and the Gulf islands.
Serving Bandar Abbas, BND reaches about 13 regularly-served nonstop destinations, mostly domestic plus a few Gulf links. Top destinations include Mashhad, Tehran, Dubai, Kish Island and Shiraz.
Main airlines: Iran Air, Iran Airtour, Karun Airlines, Zagros Airlines. See the full route map for BND on AirportRoutes →
🌉 Isfahan (IFN)
Isfahan Shahid Beheshti International serves one of Iran’s most beautiful and historic cities, famed for its blue-tiled mosques, grand square and the arched bridges over the Zayandeh River. It is an important tourist and provincial gateway with domestic links plus regional flights to the Gulf, Turkey and Iraq.
Serving Isfahan, IFN reaches about 12 regularly-served nonstop destinations. Top destinations include Tehran, Mashhad, Dubai, Istanbul and Najaf.
Main airlines: Iran Air, Caspian Airlines, Turkish Airlines, FlyDubai. See the full route map for IFN on AirportRoutes →
🛢️ Ahvaz (AWZ)
Ahvaz International, formally named after Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani, serves the capital of oil-rich Khuzestan province in Iran’s southwest. It carries heavy domestic traffic linked to the energy industry, along with some Gulf and pilgrimage service.
Serving Ahvaz, AWZ reaches about 11 regularly-served nonstop destinations, overwhelmingly domestic with a few Gulf and Saudi links. Top destinations include Tehran, Isfahan, Mashhad, Dubai and Jeddah.
Main airlines: Karun Airlines, Iran Air, Caspian Airlines, Jazeera Airways. See the full route map for AWZ on AirportRoutes →
🏔️ Tabriz (TBZ)
Tabriz International serves the largest city of northwest Iran and the centre of the country’s Azeri region. Close to the borders with Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan, it pairs domestic routes with cross-border links to Istanbul and Baku.
Serving Tabriz, TBZ reaches about 10 regularly-served nonstop destinations. Top destinations include Tehran, Mashhad, Istanbul, Baku and Ahvaz.
Main airlines: Iran Air, Mahan Air, Turkish Airlines, Iran Airtour. See the full route map for TBZ on AirportRoutes →
⛽ Persian Gulf, Asaluyeh (PGU)
Persian Gulf International at Asaluyeh exists largely to serve the giant South Pars gas field, the world’s largest, on Iran’s southern coast. Its traffic is dominated by domestic shuttle flights carrying energy-sector workers to and from the production hubs.
Serving Asaluyeh and the South Pars energy zone, PGU reaches about 9 regularly-served nonstop destinations, all domestic. Top destinations include Isfahan, Shiraz, Tabriz, Mashhad and Sari.
Main airlines: Caspian Airlines, Iran Aseman Airlines, Iran Airtour. See the full route map for PGU on AirportRoutes →
🏝️ Kish Island (KIH)
Kish International serves the resort and free-trade island of Kish in the Persian Gulf, a popular domestic holiday and shopping destination that foreign visitors can enter without a visa. Its traffic is almost entirely domestic, ferrying tourists and traders from across Iran.
Serving Kish Island, KIH reaches about 8 regularly-served nonstop destinations, overwhelmingly domestic. Top destinations include Tehran, Bandar Abbas, Isfahan, Kerman and Yazd.
Main airlines: Iran Air, Mahan Air, Caspian Airlines, Zagros Airlines. See the full route map for KIH on AirportRoutes →
Other airports across Iran
Beyond the ten gateways above, Iran has a long tail of regional airports keeping far-flung provinces connected to Tehran and Mashhad. In the southeast, Kerman (KER), Chabahar (ZBR) on the Gulf of Oman and Zahedan (ZAH) near the Pakistan border anchor a sparsely populated frontier. Along the Caspian coast, Sari (SRY) and Rasht (RAS) serve the green northern provinces, while Lar (LRR) in the south and Abadan (ABD) in the oil-producing southwest add Gulf and domestic links.
Historic Yazd (AZD), a desert city of wind-towers and Zoroastrian heritage, plus smaller fields at Bushehr, Ardabil, Birjand, Kashan, Kermanshah, Hamadan, Urmia and beyond, round out the network. Most run a handful of domestic routes, typically to Tehran and Mashhad, flown by the same mix of Iranian carriers, and many also host seasonal pilgrimage charters to Najaf in Iraq and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.
The airlines flying within Iran
Iran’s skies are served almost entirely by home-grown carriers. Iran Air, the state flag carrier known locally as Homa, shares the market with Mahan Air, the largest airline, plus Iran Aseman, Caspian, Zagros, Karun, Sepehran and Iran Airtour. Among foreign airlines, Turkey’s carriers, FlyDubai, Air Arabia, Jazeera Airways and Iraqi Airways operate the most cross-border flights.
Sanctions loom over the whole sector. Decades of US and EU restrictions have blocked Iranian airlines from buying new Western jets and even spare parts, leaving the country with one of the oldest commercial fleets in the world, a patchwork of ageing Airbus, Boeing, Fokker and ATR aircraft kept flying well past their usual lifespan. Mahan Air is itself under US sanctions, and the difficulty of sourcing parts has been a persistent safety concern. It is part of why Iran’s aviation, for all its scale, remains so inward-looking.
Airport rankings, nonstop-destination counts, served cities, airline lists and intercontinental connections are drawn from live AirportRoutes route data (observed flight data, a sample rather than a complete published schedule; we use the regularly-served figure, which filters infrequent observations). Airspace status is from safeairspace.net. Airport facts are cross-checked against the cited references. The map is a Mappr original.
Primary Data Source:
- AirportRoutes: Major airports & routes, Iran – Live route data: per-airport nonstop destinations, served cities, airlines and intercontinental connections.
Reference:
- safeairspace.net: Iran airspace risk summary – Conflict-zone and airspace-risk advisories for Iran (Tehran FIR), used for the advisory note.
- Wikipedia: Iranian airports (Imam Khomeini, Mehrabad, Mashhad, Shiraz and others) – Airport history, roles and notable facts referenced in the per-airport sections.
- Locator maps: Google Maps / Google Static Maps – Per-airport location maps with airplane markers, generated via Google Static Maps.
Image Sources:
- Map by Mappr – Map of major airports in Iran, a Mappr original built from AirportRoutes data and Natural Earth boundaries.
