Lufthansa still plans to resume direct Iran flights this week
January 12, 2026
German carrier Lufthansa is still planning to resume flights to Tehran later this week despite various other European airlines cancelling all services to Iran until further notice.
The decision to resume services on the route comes amidst mass protests in Iran, sparked by a cost-of-living crisis that is now threatening Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s iron-clad grip on power in the country.
Lufthansa plans return to Tehran despite civil unrest
The carrier’s passenger flights to the Iranian capital have been on hold for six months following rising international condemnation of the Iranian Ayatollah-led regime. However, the airline is continuing with plans to resume direct flights between Frankfurt and Tehran on Friday, 12 January.
Against the backdrop of Iran’s most intense political crisis in its modern history, anti-government protests are now raging across the country.
The country is also currently under a digital blackout as the Iranian government has withdrawn mobile internet access, exacerbating the chaos.
Hundreds have been killed and many injured in ongoing civil unrest, with the US administration said to be considering “all options” in terms of retaliatory action against the Iranian regime.
More than 540 people have been killed and more than 10,000 arrested, according to the US-based Human Rights Activist News Agency.
According to travel website PYOK, Lufthansa suspended flights to Tehran on several occasions in the last few years due to heightened security concerns in the region linked to Iran’s military activities towards Israel.
The airline last resumed daily non-stop flights between its base at Frankfurt Airport (FRA) and Tehran in March 2025 before suspending the route just months later in June 2025.
Will Lufthansa resume Iran flights despite the protests?
Despite this, and also with Germany’s government warning against all travel to Iran and German citizens to leave the country, Lufthansa appears to be holding firm on its decision to restart services to Tehran on 16 January.
However, although flights were still due to operate at the time of writing, a spokesperson for Lufthansa told Bloomberg that the company is monitoring the situation “very closely,” and there could still be changes “at short notice.”
Lufthansa Group, which is one of Europe’s largest airline groupings and includes Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, SWISS, and ITA Airways. As the leading member within that group, Lufthansa would be the only European airline left flying to the Iranian capital.
Austrian Airlines suspended its own flights between Vienna and Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport (THR) on 9 January, citing the ongoing unrest in the country. The airline said that it would continue to monitor the situation.
Other airlines suspend flights, although some have since returned to Tehran
Towards the end of last week, many international Airlines suspended flights to Tehran, including major regional players Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways and Emirates. Elsewhere, international carriers from Europe and elsewhere also cancelled flights to the Iranian capital.
However, seemingly in a change of direction, several airlines resumed flights to Iran on 11 January after suspending services for two days.
In the UAE, Emirates and flydubai flights to Tehran resumed, while other carriers, including Qatar Airways and Etihad, also resumed services from their hubs in Doha and Abu Dhabi, respectively.
Domestic flights to other Iranian cities departed on schedule, with flights operated by Iranian carriers Iran Air, Mahan Air and Qeshm Air all continuing as normal.
Travel warnings issued to passengers heading to Iran
Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at Strategic Aero Research, told The National, “The caution is booking flights to Iran. While flights are operating, passengers need to be acutely aware that flights could suddenly be cancelled and passengers might not be able to find a way out easily, especially if the current Iranian government collapses, because there will end up being a vacuum”.
“We have seen how this sort of thing plays out already in places like Syria, Yemen and Libya, and the outcome is never good. So, the best bet right now for those intending to travel to Iran is to hold off until such time that it is safe to do so, because right now, the situation is highly dangerous.”
Given the continued volatility across Iran, people should be prepared for a sudden closure in the airspace if the situation deteriorates, Ahmad added.
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