The first Air France flight between Paris and Tehran for eight years landed in the Islamic republic’s capital on Sunday, Iranian media reported.
The airline’s route had been suspended since 2008 because of international sanctions against Iran over its controversial nuclear programme.
However, sanctions have been lifted under an accord with world powers that has now been in force for three months.
Flight AF738 from Roissy-Charles de Gaulle touched down at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini international airport at 1530 GMT, 20 minutes ahead of schedule, an AFP journalist said.
French Transport Minister Alain Vidalies was on board, along with members of a delegation some 15-strong who will spend two days in the Iranian capital.
At a welcoming ceremony Vidalies said he was “proud of the resumption of these direct flights” and said being “able to move between Paris and Tehran was crucial… for entering into partnerships”.
Iran’s deputy transport minister, Ali Abedzadeh, said he was happy to see the Air France service resume.
Frederic Gagey, the airline’s chief executive, spoke of its “great pride in returning to Iran”.
In December 2015, Air France-KLM announced that it will resume flights between Paris and Tehran from April 2016. The airline said three weekly flights would begin from April.
Italy’s Alitalia, Austrian Airlines and Lufthansa of Germany already fly to Tehran, and British Airways is planning to resume its London-Tehran service in July.
Currently Iran’s national carrier, Iran Air has three weekly flights to London as well as two weekly flights each to Paris and Amsterdam.
Photos: Paris-Tehran direct flight resumed after 8-year break
Photos Credit: Mehdi Jafari, Irna
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Amir
April 18, 2021 at 6:30 pm
It was about time. Parisians were poking themselves into the eye. As Iranian- American, I hope Washington allows United Airlines soon starts flights from any US cities to Iran. I am really sick and tiered of US unilateral negatives resistances. It was Washington who brought Iran to the table of negotiations on nuclear agreement, now it should be Washington to act more and let the lid off for more cooperation between two countries. To begin with, direct flights from US to Iran would be a start.