Britain Warns Travellers About Iran Airport

Reuters:

Britain and Canada advised travellers late on Friday not to use Iran's main new international airport because of concern over its safety, just hours before the airport was due to receive its first flights.

"We are aware of reports that the runway at the new Imam Khomeni International Airport in Tehran may not yet be suitable for use," the British Foreign Office said of the airport, due to open on Saturday. READ MORE

"We are in contact with the Iranian authorities about this. Until the situation has been clarified, we advise British travellers to travel by flights using the existing (Mehrabad) airport."

The Canadian government issued a virtually identical warning. It was not immediately clear whether any other countries were giving the same advice.

Iranian officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

The opening of the Imam Khomeini International Airport, built to serve the capital Tehran, has already been aborted once, when military vehicles swarmed onto the runway and closed it down a year ago after an inaugural flight had landed.

The military had expressed concern about security as the airport was being run by a Turkish company.

Flights to and from the airport, 30 miles (45 km) south of Tehran and designed to replace the ageing Mehrabad International Airport close to the city centre, were due to resume on Saturday afternoon with carriers serving the nearby United Arab Emirates.

Neither Britain or Canada said exactly why they were concerned about the safety of the runway.

But an Iranian aviation source has told Reuters buildings at the new site have suffered from subsidence and there were fears the runway could not cope with the weight of a heavy aircraft landing on the tarmac. ...