Daijiworld Media Network - Tehran

Tehran, May 19: In a significant development highlighting the ongoing thaw in Saudi-Iranian relations, Saudi budget carrier Flynas has resumed flights for Iranian Hajj pilgrims for the first time since 2015.

A Saudi civil aviation authority official confirmed to AFP that Flynas operated its first flight from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport on Saturday. Additional flights are set to depart from the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad. The move will enable more than 35,000 Iranian pilgrims to travel to Saudi Arabia with the airline this Hajj season, which begins in June.

Until now, Iranian pilgrims were limited to traveling on Iranian-chartered aircraft during the Hajj season due to strained diplomatic ties between the two regional powers.

This resumption of Saudi-operated flights represents a symbolic and practical step forward in restoring bilateral cooperation. Relations between Tehran and Riyadh were severed in 2016 after Saudi Arabia executed prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, sparking outrage in Iran and leading to the storming of the Saudi embassy in Tehran.

After years of tension, the two countries announced a historic reconciliation agreement in 2023, brokered by China. Since then, diplomatic relations have been progressively restored, with embassies reopening and dialogue resuming across various sectors.

The renewed flights underscore a growing willingness by both sides to collaborate on religious and logistical matters, particularly as millions of Muslims from around the world prepare for the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

Observers see this move as part of a broader trend of regional de-escalation and cooperation, signaling a potential shift in Middle Eastern geopolitics after years of rivalry.