Iran, Saudi Arabia to begin talks to resume direct flights
According to an Iranian official, nothing is hindering the initiation of direct flights between several Iranian cities and Riyadh
Iran and Saudi Arabia will begin official discussions this week to reinstate direct regular flights between Tehran and Riyadh, according to an Iranian official speaking with Iran's ILNA, news agency on 10 December.
Iran's Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development, Mohammad Mohammadi-Bakhsh, told ILNA that there will be no restrictions in relation to direct flights between several cities in Iran and Riyadh, adding, "A bilateral working group will start final negotiations next week to have non-haj flights between the two countries."
Iran has already submitted a roster of potential airline operators for these flights, according to an official statement, although no specific companies were named.
Re-establishing regular flights between the Islamic Republic and the Kingdom would further advance mending relations between the two West Asian power. In March, a reconciliation agreement facilitated by China led to the restoration of diplomatic ties between the two countries, following years of hostility that caused war in countries such as Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.
Iran and Saudi Arabia cut relations following the storming of Riyadh's embassy in Tehran over the Kingdom's execution of a prominent Shia cleric in 2016. During the period between the severing of ties and the restoration of relations earlier this year, direct flights between the two countries came to a halt, excluding occasional direct flights from Iran carrying Muslim pilgrims to Mecca.
This development came a few weeks after Saudi Arabian and Iranian officials started to engage in talks to further expand economic and financial relations.
Despite Iran and the Kingdom's bolstering of relations over the past year, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian affirmed that Tehran welcomes the new chapter in relations with Saudi Arabia, as it would serve the Islamic world's interests and counteract the trend of Arab normalization with Israel.