Air India Express, the low-cost arm of Air India, plans to fly four times a week from Delhi to Tehran from early next year. It will become the first Indian airline to operate flights to Tehran after lifting of Western sanctions against Iran. Air India used to operate flights to Tehran from Mumbai in 1993-94. Air India Express chief executive officer K. Shyamsundar said the airline will start flight operations to Iran in March-April next year. “We are very upbeat about it and we do believe the route has a huge potential as Iranians are keen to travel onwards from Delhi to Goa,.” Mr. Shyamsundar said Air India Express will get into a code-share arrangement with Air India to offer seamless connecting flights to Goa from Delhi. “Besides tourists coming in from Iran in chartered planes to Goa, there are Iranian students who travel to Pune for studies.” Air India is expected to write to Exim Bank, U.S., to inform them about its plan to operate the Tehran flight as Air India Express aircraft is financed through a loan from Exim Bank. It required as Iran was under global sanctions until recently.
