From the Liveblog of
Friday, January 9, 2026
Spate of flight cancellations hits Tehran after it is gripped by protests
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
Turkish Airlines cancels its five Friday flights to the Iranian capital Tehran, which has been rocked by anti-government protests against the rising cost of living, according to the Istanbul Airport app.
Five other flights operated by Iranian airlines are also canceled, according to the airport app, while seven others remain scheduled.
Turkish authorities have not commented so far on the situation in Iran, where the protests have challenged the authorities under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Iranian government was already battling an economic crisis after years of sanctions, and recovering from its June war against Israel.
Rights groups have accused Iranian security forces of opening fire on demonstrators, with the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights saying yesterday that security forces had killed at least 45 protesters, including eight minors, since the demonstrations began
According to the specialist website Flight Radar, a Turkish Airlines plane flying to Shiraz and a Pegasus flight to Mashad turned back from Iranian space last night.
Turkey shares a border of around 500 kilometers (300 miles) with Iran, and there are three active land crossings between the two countries.
The Times of Israel Community.