Free Republic

Several European airlines aim to resume their flights to Iran following a landmark nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, the state-owned IRAN daily reported on Thursday. The newspaper quoted Mohammad Khodakarami, deputy head of Iran's civil aviation authority, as saying British Airways officials visited Tehran on Tuesday to discuss resumption of flights. He did not elaborate. Khodakarami also said both Air France and Dutch flagship KLM have already expressed their readiness to resume flights to Tehran. ...

A commercial airliner left Egypt for Iran on Saturday in what was the first direct passenger flight between the two countries in more than three decades, Egyptian airport officials said. Cairo-Tehran relations have warmed since the June election of Egypt’s Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi. Diplomatic relations were frozen after Egypt signed its 1979 peace treaty with Israel and Iran underwent its Islamic Revolution. …

MACAU (Reuters) - Taiwan and China reached a landmark deal on Saturday to allow non-stop charter flights over the Chinese New Year holidays, a move which could ease tensions and improve ties between the bitter political rivals. The one-off deal will allow the first direct flights between the foes since 1949, and could mark a step toward ending a decades-old ban on direct air links. "In a very short time, in a cordial atmosphere, we have come to an agreement," Pu Zhaozhou, executive director of China's Civil Aviation Association, told a joint news conference after talks in the southern Chinese...