Saudi Airline Restarts Hajj Flights to Iran After 2015 Pause

For the first time in ten years, a Saudi airline has initiated flights for Iranian Hajj pilgrims to the Kingdom, signaling a thaw in relations between the two nations.

“Flynas began Iranian flights for pilgrims from Imam Khomeini Airport in Tehran on Saturday,” a representative from the Saudi civil aviation authority shared with AFP, preferring to remain anonymous.

Additional flights from Mashhad in Iran are also expected, enabling over 35,000 pilgrims to make the journey to Saudi Arabia.

The representative clarified that these flights are exclusively for the purpose of the Hajj pilgrimage and are not commercial services.

The Hajj is anticipated to commence during the first week of June, with pilgrims from around the world already arriving in Saudi Arabia.

After a surprise agreement brokered by China, Iran and Saudi Arabia restored diplomatic ties in March 2023, ending a seven-year rift.

Relations between the two countries deteriorated in 2016 when Saudi Arabia severed ties following attacks on its embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad during protests triggered by the execution of cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

In that same year, Iranian pilgrims were barred from entering Saudi Arabia due to the inability of both sides to establish a protocol for their participation in the pilgrimage.

Although Iranians were eventually allowed to partake in the Hajj, they were restricted to traveling on specially chartered flights from Iran. However, the recent reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia has led to increased interactions between the two regional powers.