Official: Transit flights up by 43%

Tehran, Dec 7, IRNA – A deputy at Iran Airports Company said during the first eight months of the current year (started March 21) over 32 million passengers arrived in or departed from the country’s airports which shows an increase of 12% as compared to the same period last year. Mohammad Reza Abdolrahimi told IRNA that during the same period 24.4 million passengers arrived in or departed from airports throughout the country on domestic routes, adding that the figure shows an increase of 8% in comparison with the same period last year. According to the official, statistics show that during the first eight months of the current year, 7.540 million passengers arrived in or departed from the country’s airports on international routes which show an increase of 22% in comparison with the same period last year. The official further remarked that Iran's growing ties with different world countries and growth in the number of visits foreign tourists pay to Iran has been effective in increasing transportation of passengers on international routes to the country’s airports. Pointing to the advantage of increase in transit flights over the Iranian sky, Abdolrahimi said in the first eight months of the current year transit flights amounted to 164,057 which shows an increase of 43% as compared to the same period last year. The official said with regard to the sustainable safety of Iranian skies airlines of over 70 world countries are using the Iranian airspace for transiting from west to east and north to south. He added that more airlines are expected to use the Iranian airspace in coming months./end